Dreaming of a Knight In Blue: The Gold Chronicles: Book III
by CJ Moliere
Summary: SFPD homicide inspector David Molk is a man with an intriguing past. In his first life as Morgan Whitmore, he would leave his life in the Enchanted Forest behind and make a new start in one of the most turbulent eras in English history: the Wars of the Roses and rise of the Tudors unaware that he will also be the grandfather of Pan and great-grandfather of Rumple!
1. Prologue

The Tower of London

England, 1537

The Earl of Mayford drew another line on the wall of his cell, marking the end of another day. He often wondered how many more days he would spend in that cell until it was time to face the executioner's axe. He'd been a loyal subject to five kings when he crossed realms decades earlier. Only fifteen when he arrived, many assumed Morgan Whitmore was a poor orphan struggling to survive in a divided England. Only a few trusted souls knew he was from another world known as Nonestica, a safe haven that had been created by the exiled Greek gods Hades and Persephone.

Now he was a prisoner in The Tower of London, his crime high treason against his current master, King Henry VIII. He and thousands of people from the northern part of the realm rose against the king's break with the Catholic church, the dissolution of the monasteries, seizure of lands and goods and the increasing power of the Lord Privy Seal, Thomas Cromwell. A minor noble at court, Morgan witnessed Cromwell's ascension firsthand and how quickly he destroyed those who crossed him. Morgan also knew those who rose high fell hard when they made powerful enemies and Cromwell made plenty of them among the nobles. It was only a matter of time before he too occupied a cell in the tower marking the days until he went to the block.

He'd been allowed few visitors during his confinement, many of them Cromwell's men with more questions about his involvement in the rebellions. He'd confessed to his part, but he'd refused to divulge the names of others involved. There was no need. They'd gotten what they needed from others.

He looked up from the book he was reading when the guard entered the cell carrying the plate with his evening meal. He ate without complaint though the portions he was being given grew smaller with each passing day, the water was often filthy and the bread stale. Still it was better than being starved.

The door opened again a short time later and he was shocked to see the Lord Privy Seal himself standing there.

"The King has sent me to offer you a full pardon."

"The King has sent you or you've come of your own accord? Do not mince words with me, Lord Cromwell. I may be confined here but I still have my sources on the outside and they tell me the tide is turning and soon it will be you in here awaiting execution."

Cromwell smiled. "Do not be so sure of that, Lord Mayford."

"You forget, Lord Cromwell, that I have served five kings in my lifetime and have seen many rise in favor and fall harder."

"Yourself included," Cromwell sneered.

"I did so with a heavy heart and a clear conscience. What does the King wish of me in exchange for this pardon?"

"That you honor the oath you took before this uprising."

"That I cannot do."

"Lord Mayford…"

"You have my answer Lord Cromwell. I will go to the block as His Majesty's pleasure, but my family will not be held accountable for my actions. My wife and children are loyal subjects."

"Your lands and titles will be forfeit if you die a traitor's death."

"They will not."

"You dare to presume the King's will!"

"No, I will hear it, from his lips not yours!" Morgan retorted. "Inform the King that I wish to see him in person."

"You will go to the block before he comes to see you."

"I think not."

Three more lines were drawn on the wall before the door was opened again and a new visitor arrived.

"You do not summon me, Lord Mayford. I summon you!"

"Yet here you are, Harry."

"This meeting never took place. Understood?" the King demanded angrily.

"The guards?"

"Will do as I command. They are at supper for the moment."

"Ah."

"Now why have you summoned me?"

"I will go to the block, but you will allow my family to keep my holdings."

The King's face reddened. "You DARE to make demands on ME? Your King?"

"I do and you know why I do. You will restore my lands and titles to my heirs and in return I will take your family's secrets to the grave. The spirits of those boys wander the halls at night, crying for their revenge."

"We did not have them murdered! Richard did!"

"You forget I was a loyal subject to Richard. He kept the boys in the Tower, but he did not order their deaths and your lady mother and grandmother laid a curse on everyone they suspected of having anything to do with it. Buckingham and his men may have done the deed, but he was already dead before the curse was spoken."

"You are from a land where curses can be broken! Tell me how to break it! I will give you anything you desire. I cannot lose this child if it is a son!"

"It will be a son," Morgan declared.

"You are certain?"

"You know how my gift works, Harry. Sometimes what I See is like a puzzle with pieces that do not always arrange themselves in the proper order. I've cursed this gift from the day I realized I had it because it blinds me to the fates of those closest to me. Were it not for your Lady Great-Grandmother's tutelage, I never would have mastered it. But now I fear for my grandson. The dark warlock that seduced my Jane has given Malcolm his powers."

"Your grandson…he could break the curse!"

"He is too young and untrained. I have sent him back to my world to be trained as a white mage. Were his powers discovered here he would be sent to the fires. And I cannot be certain our magic will work on this land's magic."

"Then all I can do is pray that the curse has run its course. It has taken my brothers, my sons with Catherine and Anne. Is that not enough?"

"The curse will end when the bloodlines of the guilty parties die out," Morgan reminded him.

Henry buried his face in his hands. "Then I will lose this child too. I believed that my sons by Anne and Catherine did not survive because my marriages to them were unlawful."

"Your marriage to Queen Katherine was lawful. She went to your bed a maid as she claimed until her last breath. The loss of your sons by her was through no fault of hers or yours. It was God's will."

"It was the curse!" he raged. "I know that now! It matters not how devoted a subject I am to God, he will not undo this curse! You will undo this curse!"

"I cannot!"

"Then you will go to the block as you deserve to!"

"So be it. But you will allow my family to keep their lands and titles."

"I will. I dare not risk your family laying another curse upon me."

"I would not permit it. However, if you refuse to honor my final request, I will do much worse…I will haunt you from beyond the grave and you know I can."

"Then I will honor your request and keep your secrets as you have kept mine," the King declared. "Will you see my mother where you're going?"

Morgan shook his head. "When I ascend to the afterlife I will go where all Nonestican souls go…to Paradise in the custody of Ozmalita Diosa."

"Yet you took up arms for this realm's old faith. Why?"

"Because this realm became my home and I adopted its faith, a faith similar to my own."

"Yet can you deny the corruption that has taken place in religious houses?"

"I cannot. Reform was necessary Harry, but your advisors have carried things too far. That is why the people are unhappy. I fought for the rights of all, not the privileged few that I have the misfortune of belonging to."

"You know this is the last thing I wanted. You were my mother's oldest, dearest friend." The King looked away. "Don't make me do this, Morgan."

"You are the King of England. Your word is law. The Bill of Attainder against me has been passed and signed, so I will go to block."

The King sighed heavily. "And I will have another death on my conscience."

"The queen will give birth soon. You should return to the palace. Will you give her my regards?"

"I will, Lord Mayford."

At first, he thought he was imagining it, but Morgan could have sworn there were tears in the King's eyes. He shed his own tears weeks ago, not for the king but the children and grandchildren he would leave behind.

"Goodbye and Godspeed Harry."

"Goodbye…Morgan," the King croaked and quickly fled the room, slamming the door behind him.

Three days later a large crowd gathered on Tower Green to bear witness to the execution of one of its oldest and most loved nobles Morgan Whitmore, the Earl of Mayford. His family had been forbidden to attend the execution but there was someone in attendance that would carry the news back to them.

"I ask you all to pray for the King, Queen Jane, the child she carries and the Ladies Mary and Elizabeth. And I ask you all to pray for me."

He crossed himself and knelt, placing his head on the block and stretched out his arms.

"Into Your hands I commend my spirit," he murmured as the axe descended.

A young woman in the crowd waved her hand and the body of Morgan Whitmore, the first Earl of Mayford vanished and a construct was left in its place. She watched with anger while it was thrown onto a cart and before sunset the head would be placed on London Bridge as a warning to all of the price to be paid for defying His Majesty's will. She spotted a familiar face in the crowd and glared at him.

"Enjoy your victory while you can Lord Privy Seal," she said through gritted teeth. "For soon it would be your turn to face the executioner's axe!"

She flicked her wrist and vanished in a puff of smoke, reappearing in the gardens of the estate Morgan had been granted during the reign of the current King's grandfather, Edward IV. Tears were in her eyes when she discovered an elderly woman sprawled on the grass, clutching a red rose to her breast. Kneeling beside her was another woman the same age, weeping softly.

"They've killed him, haven't they?" she inquired.

"They have but it is not his remains they will defile and place at the four corners of the realm." The young woman held out a glowing pendant to her. "His soul is in my keeping and now I must reunite it with hers." Her eyes met those of the elderly woman. "Now you must honor the promise you made to him Katherine and continue to pledge your fealty to the King as his children have done and your lands and titles will be saved."

Katherine made a face. "The king is fickle. What he gives he takes away, and what he takes away he gives back. Cromwell would enjoy snatching Mayford though our Harry has always been a loyal subject. Nevertheless, I will do what I must to protect the inheritances of all our children." She smiled down at the woman on the grass. "Now go…be with Morgan my dearest friend and perhaps one day we will meet again in a new life."

"Katherine, is it your intention to surrender the custody of your soul to my keeping until it can be reborn again?" the young woman inquired softly.

"But I am not from your world."

"Neither was Bess but it was Morgan's wish that her soul be reunited with his in their next life. You Katherine, were their dearest friend and I think it fitting that you should make the journey to the next life with them."

"Without my William? I cannot do that. My heart longs to be with him as Bess's longed to be with Morgan."

The young woman placed her hand over Katherine's heart. The elderly woman stared in shock as her chest glowed with a bright white light.

"You will be reunited with your William, dear Katherine and you will be with your friends again, but not as they remember you. Your memories of this life will have to be forgotten until the time comes to remember them. But first you must give your consent. Do you recall how it was done?"

She nodded.

"Ozmalita Diosa, I surrender my soul to thee," she recited.

Ozmalita then held the pendant over the body of Katherine's friend. Seconds later her corpse vanished. Katherine rose to her feet and began the long walk back to the house to find Morgan's eldest son awaiting her.

"You are now Earl of Mayford Harry," she announced.

He nodded sadly. "And my lady mother?"

"She has joined your father in Heaven, my son," Katherine wept.

"Damn Henry Tudor and damn Cromwell! May his head be the next to rot on a pike!"

"Harry!"

"Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to call upon the McDermott to lay a curse upon them!"

"Do not say such things!" Katherine pleaded. "They practice the dark arts! You shame your parents' memories by suggesting it."

"Then I will go there…to Papa's world."

"No. Your place is here. You are the Earl of Mayford and your son must succeed you. That was your father's final wish and I will do what I must to see that you honor it!"

"He sent Jane to that world!" Harry reminded her.

"Because your nephew Malcolm has inherited his father's dark powers and your father felt he had no other choice but to send him there to have him trained to by a white magician!"

"If he can be."

"He must be. Come, the king will be summoning us back to court and we must be ready."

Harry Whitmore smiled. "Then you will remarry Lord William after your time of mourning has ended."

"I will. As he will remarry me after his time of mourning for your lady mother has ended."

"I wonder if the King and Lady Anne ever knew how you and Papa outfoxed them?"

"I don't believe they did. Your father and I were wed in their presence as were Bess and William but neither marriage was valid because I married William and Bess married your father the week before under our true faith. Though it was God's will that I would never bear children, I have loved you all as if you were my own."

"As we have loved you and our uncle William," Harry embraced her. "I will miss them terribly."

"I know. But there will be plenty of time to mourn. Now we must secure Mayford."

"I hope they will be happy in their next life."

"I believe they will be."

Two days later Queen Jane Seymour gave birth to the son the King wanted so desperately, naming him Edward. The kingdom rejoiced but the joy was short lived for twelve days later Queen Jane was dead of childbed fever, the same illness that had taken the King's beloved mother.

"My own darling. One day I shall lie with you again," the King murmured as he stood beside the sarcophagus of his beloved third wife.

"I am so sorry Harry."

"Morgan. Have you come to haunt me?"

"I've come to warn you."

"Warn me? Of what?"

"Your heart is darkening Harry. Do you remember what I told you about hearts in my world?"

"That one's dark deeds makes them turn black."

"I cannot show you mine because it is no longer in my body, but it will be in my new life. I am to be reborn into my own bloodline."

"How is that possible?"

"Much is possible in my world."

The King's eyes widened in terror as Morgan reached into his chest and removed his heart.

"What….how…how am I still alive?" he cried fearfully.

"Magic," Morgan murmured, holding the organ out for the King to inspect. Some of it was glowing red while other parts were black as night.

"My heart….it has black growths! I am dying!"

"No Harry. Those spots are the terrible deeds you have done. They cannot be removed, no matter how many good deeds you do in place of them. Take care what you do for if you continue on the path you're on your heart will be as black as night and you will become a man without a conscience, without a soul."

"You're trying to frighten me. Go away!"

"Listen to me!" Morgan hissed. "You know I speak the truth. I've spent years schooling you in my land's traditions to prepare you for others that may cross over." His eyes met those of the younger King as he carefully placed the organ back in his chest. "Be the man, the king you swore to be the day you were crowned and stop the darkness from consuming your soul!"

"I am being that man, that King!" Henry raged. "Leave me, spirit and haunt me no more!"

Morgan shook his head.

"Goodbye Harry. I wish you well. I truly do," Morgan said as he vanished.

The King awoke in his chambers wishing it had all been a dream and his beloved Jane would be sleeping next to him but all he saw was an empty space in his bed and his heart.

Paradise

The Nonestican Heaven Realm

"Welcome home Morgan," Ozmalita Diosa, the Nonestican keeper of souls greeted her latest charge upon his return. Beside her was his beloved Bess, no longer elderly but the young and beautiful ward to Queen Katherine of Aragon that he'd fallen in love with. He went into her outstretched arms and kissed her passionately, feeling his own youth return to him.

"I am home," he murmured into her hair.

"We have so little time," she said sadly.

"Why?"

"The time for your rebirth is coming Morgan," Ozmalita informed him.

"No! Please, let me stay a little longer!"

"You will stay until the births of your brother's twin sons. Then your soul must merge with theirs."

"I am going to be reborn as my own nephews? How is that possible?"

"Your soul will be divided between them Morgan. It is the goddess's will."

"Why?"

"The elder child has been chosen to be one of the eight Guardians of the Balance. The younger will be reunited with Bess but both must have the best parts of you if they are to survive their battles against the darkness in the years to come."

"Then we will cherish the time we have until we meet again in our next life."

And the princess will be awakened by the true love's kiss of a knight in blue, Ozmalita thought, leaving them to enjoy what precious time they had left for it would not be long before they were parted again.


	2. A Nonestican Refugee

The United Realms Broadcasting Network Studio

Spring, 2018

Rumplestiltskin brushed a speck of lint from the doublet he was wearing and turned to face the camera. The realm's most eagerly anticipated production, The Mystery of Lost Princes, had just begun filming and its aim was to at last provide an answer to one of England's greatest mysteries, the fates of Edward V and his brother Richard, Duke of York. The two boys had been imprisoned in the Tower of London after the death of their father King Edward IV and were believed to have been murdered. The many suspects included their uncle King Richard III, King Henry VII, Lady Margaret Beaufort and the Duke of Buckingham.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, we will attempt to solve one of history's greatest mysteries. What was the fate of the boys called 'The Princes in the Tower'? Were they murdered or did they simply disappear and return later to reclaim the throne of England? And who was responsible? Some historians have placed the blame squarely on the shoulders of their uncle, Richard III. Others have blamed the Lady Margaret Beaufort and her son Henry Tudor, later Henry VII. Our fourth suspect is Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham." The camera followed him across the room to a table where a group of people were sitting, four of them spirits that had been summoned from the afterlife and the man who had witnessed most of the events surrounding the mystery firsthand. Rumple took his place at the table.

"To understand why the Princes disappeared, we must also examine the events leading up to their disappearance," Rumple narrated. "And one event that is not recorded in this realm's history books but ours. Sir, would you please state your name and rank for the record?"

The camera now turned to the bearded, silver haired man seated at the end of the table. Everyone in the realm knew him as David Molk, the identical twin of Archie Ozopov Hopper, originally born Jasper Whitmore in the Enchanted Forest. Now they would learn he'd lived before and in his first life he'd interacted with every one of the spirits now seated at the table before him.

"Morgan Whitmore first Earl of Mayford," David replied.

"Where did you live prior to your arrival in England, Lord Mayford?"

"Nonestica, in the province known as the Enchanted Forest."

"Can you recall the exact date you arrived in England?"

"May 4, 1471."

"And when did you leave England."

"On the day of my execution July 13, 1537."

"When did you return to England?"

"My soul has visited Mayford several times but the first time I went back in human form was in late 2014."

"So, you're saying you died in 1537 and was reborn."

"Yes. My soul was divided between the twin sons of my brother Martin Jiminy and Jasper Whitmore. Each inherited certain aspects of my personality but only one of them retained my memories as Morgan."

"Which one was that?"

"The youngest, Jasper now using his cursed name of David Molk."

"Why were you reborn, Lord Mayford?"

"The it was the will of the goddess…and my will."

"What were the goddess's reasons for your rebirth?"

"My eldest nephew Jiminy was to take his place in the circle of Guardians and he would need many of the skills I learned in my life at the English court to prepare him. Jasper would also fight his own battles with the darkness."

"And what were your reasons for wanting to be reborn?"

David's eyes met those of his wife seated in the audience.

"To be reunited with the only woman I've ever loved. My second wife, Elizabeth Lawton now Elizabeth Molk, the daughter of Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip…and my wife again."

"Lord Mayford, it says here your second wife's name was Katherine, not Elizabeth."

"My marriage to Katherine was never legal. Though King Henry and the Lady Anne Boleyn witnessed it, Elizabeth and I secretly married a week prior."

"Why a secret wedding?"

"The Lady Anne wanted me wed to one of her distant female relations. Elizabeth was a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine and she and the Lady Anne were not on friendly terms."

"So, your children by your marriage to Katherine are illegitimate?"

"No sir, they are not. Katherine was not the biological mother of my children, Elizabeth was. Katherine wished to marry another man and I wanted to wed Bess, so we married in secret. Anne and the King were none the wiser."

"In the records you are listed as the second Earl of Mayford when you wed the first time."

"I posed as my own descendant out of necessity."

"Why?"

"Because it would difficult to explain how a man who was supposed to be in his sixties and seventies looks like he's only in his thirties or forties when he is at the court. I had peers who were also my age at court, but they looked the part. I didn't. Few people at court knew my secret, one of them the King himself as he'd been told by his parents."

The camera now turned to one of the other occupants at the table.

"Your Grace, what was your relationship with Lord Mayford?"

"He was the dearest friend of my beloved Queen Elizabeth. In time he became my friend as well," replied King Henry VII.

"My Lady The King's Mother, what was your relationship with Lord Mayford?"

"We shared a desire to serve the will of God," answered Lady Margaret Beaufort.

"My lord Duke?" Rumple inquired of the Duke of Buckingham.

The Duke glared daggers at the camera. "A troublemaker! Like those damned Stanleys! You never knew which side he was on!"

"I was on the side of right and you knew it!" David growled. "You were the one straddling the fence, Buckingham!"

"Your Grace now we ask you how you became acquainted with Lord Mayford?" Rumple inquired of King Richard.

"He was my squire and a knight in my army until he was created Earl of Mayford at my brother's command. He was one of my closest confidantes." Richard glanced over at his friend. "He served me until the very end even when I gave him cause not to."

"And now let us go back to Nonestica to see how it all began…"

The Enchanted Forest

Nonestica

Spring, 1471

"Morgan! Morgan! Wake up!"

"I'm not sleeping!" Morgan grumbled from his pallet and brushed his brother's hand from his shoulder. Martin was always eager for the start of another of their father's hairbrained schemes while Morgan preferred to earn a modest living, but no one was willing to hire the son of a wastrel like Thomas Whitmore. So, as they wandered from village to village divesting poor unfortunate souls of their worldly goods and difficult to obtain gold, Morgan wished there would be someone sympathetic enough to take him in and free him from such a wretched existence.

Then there were the visions. They always came when he least expected them, and he saw himself in a strange land wearing fine clothes and living in a grand estate with a beautiful wife and many children. He'd been born with a caul or so his mother claimed, and she believed until the day she died that her younger son was a special boy with special gifts. Their father shrugged it off as just another foolish superstition but neither he nor Martin knew of Morgan's visions nor would he ever tell them for fear that they would use them in one of their schemes.

Morgan crawled out of bed, washed and dressed. His brother and father were already waiting outside the wagon, glowering at him.

"Let's go going. We've wasted enough time," Thomas snapped as they began walking to the next village. There were so many stories they told that Morgan had difficulty keeping them all straight and had been forced to wait outside while his father and brother spun their tall tales. As he was walking to the village he stopped when another vision flashed before his eyes, this one of a blue star shining brightly in the night sky. It was the symbol of one of the most powerful beings in all the realms, the Ruel Gorm. There were tales that if one wished upon her star when it appeared in the night sky, that wish would be granted. He smiled. If anyone could help him, she could.

Later that night after his father and brother went to sleep Morgan went outside and gazed up at the sky, his heart filled with hope at seeing the familiar blue star. He closed his eyes and made his wish.

"Hello Morgan," a voice said softly, and he opened his eyes to see a beautiful young woman in a blue gown hovering before him.

"Hello…Ruel Gorm."

"You may call me Galaluna, or Blue if you wish. I have been waiting for you to summon me."

"You have? Why?"

"You are a very special boy Morgan. You were born with a gift, the gift of sight. You see things others do not."

"Sometimes I wish I didn't. Can you make the visions stop?"

"I could but it would be unwise of me to do so."

"You can't help me," he murmured.

"Oh, but I can. The land you saw in your vision, that is where you are meant to be Morgan."

"But where is it? How do I get there?'

She waved her wand and a bean appeared in it. "The bean will open a portal that will take you to this land. It is called the land without magic but there is magic there, it just works differently than it does here. Many people in that land fear it rather than embrace it."

"I want to go there. I don't want to live with Papa or Martin anymore. I want to be someone else. I want to be free."

"You will be, but I must warn you there as many dangers in this land as there are in our land." A gold ring appeared in the boy's hand. "This has many protections woven into it."

"Thank you, my lady."

"Morgan there is one more thing you must know. Time moves differently in this new land. You will not age the way people do there and will look younger than you are. You may find it necessary to keep traveling in case anyone becomes suspicious."

"I understand. Thank you, my lady."

"I wish you well Morgan Whitmore," she said softly and flew away.

He returned to the wagon to find Martin and his father still asleep and wrote them a note before he packed what few belongings he had.

Papa and Martin,

By the time you read this I will be gone. I am sorry but a man cheating and robbing people out of their money is not who I want to be. I am going to a new land where I can be the man I want to be. I love you both and maybe someday I'll see you again.

Morgan

He waited until he was deep in the woods before he tossed the bean. A swirling green vortex appeared at his feet. He took a deep breath and stepped inside, wondering where it would take him.

Tewkesbury, England

May, 1471

The portal opened in a town like the ones he, Martin and their father would go to during their travels. He saw many men on horseback and others on foot dressed in armor, some of their nursing wounds from a recent battle. The terrified young boy concealed himself behind a barrel. As he watched the men pass him by many of them spoke of an abbey and sanctuary. One of the land's holy places was near by and the priests would offer him sanctuary as the Temples of Lurline offered sanctuary to those in need in his land. He stepped out his hiding place and followed them down the road.

"What has happened?" he inquired of one of the soldiers. The man stared at him as if he were insane.

"What does it look like, boy?" he snapped. "We've lost and unless we seek sanctuary in the abbey the York sons will have our heads set on pikes."

While he was walking his mind was flooded with images that he struggled to make sense of. Names, places, and the predominant images red and white roses belonging to members of the rival houses of Lancaster and York. The Lancasters adopted the red rose as their symbol, the York the white rose. It reminded him of the legendary blood feud between the Houses of Ozopov and Strogoff in Oz. Descendants of Hades and Persephone, they'd been cursed to fight each other until their line died out. He wondered if these families were also cursed. The land he'd arrived in was called England, the town Tewkesbury.

Once they arrived at the abbey the priests gave them food, drink and tended to the wounded. Morgan stayed in a corner by himself listening while the men talked. They were soldiers for the House of Lancaster under the command of Queen Margaret of Anjou and her son Prince Edward. Prince Edward had been killed and Queen Margaret was now in hiding with Edward's bride, Anne Neville.

"Once again those damned Woodvilles will be pulling Edward's strings!" he heard a soldier curse.

"I still say those damned witches were working their magic against us!"

"W…Witches?" Morgan asked fearfully. "There are witches here?"

"Where the devil have you been, boy? Under a rock? Everyone knows the Woodvilles used witchcraft to entice the York boy into making their Elizabeth queen. Had we won the day she would've been dragged out of the abbey where she is hiding and burned along with the whore who spawned her!"

"I…I am a stranger here," he confessed.

"Then do yourself a favor boy and return to where you came. We know who the real power is when Edward of York is on the throne and it is not him. It's his wife's damned family, those bloodsucking Woodvilles. They take and they take some more. Be glad you're only a simple boy and not a noble one. They would match you with one of their female relations and may God help you."

Exhausted from his journey, Morgan lay down on his pallet and drifted off to sleep.

He awoke early the next morning, just in time for Mass. This land's devotionals were not quite the same as those of Nonestica but he followed along as best he could, determined to learn the faith of this realm himself and spent the rest of the day talking with the priests. He could read and write and the ring the fairy had given him made it possible for him to understand the religious texts they suggested he read though they were written in Latin.

The next day he awoke hearing more shouting followed by sounds of a struggle and was horrified to see more soldiers in the abbey dragging the men that had been staying there outside. He turned and started running down the corridor when rough hands seized him and dragged him along with the others.

"I've done nothing wrong! I've done nothing wrong!" he cried as he was thrown to the ground.

"Who is this?" he heard someone ask the soldiers.

"Probably a squire, Your Grace."

"Pick him up."

Morgan was hauled to his feet to face another boy at least three years his senior in battle armor, the symbol of a white rose on his breastplate.

"What is your name boy?"

"Whitmore….Morgan Whitmore. Please sir….I've done nothing wrong…"

"Your Grace," the elder boy corrected. "I am Richard, the Duke of Gloucester."

"Y…Your Grace."

"Are you a squire?"

"No, no Your Grace. I've just…just been traveling and I didn't know where else to go so I came to the abbey."

"Traveling alone?" Richard eyed him skeptically.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Where are your parents?"

"I…I don't have any…not anymore."

"What should we do with him, Your Grace?"

Richard thought for a moment. "Bring him along."

"Yes, Your Grace."

They made camp before nightfall and once again Morgan found himself being half dragged to the Duke of Gloucester's presence.

"Leave us," the duke ordered.

"Your Grace, please….I just want to go back the abbey."

"You don't have the look of a man of the cloth, Morgan. What did you do before you sought sanctuary in the abbey? Were you spying for Margaret of Anjou?"

"No!" he protested. "I'm no spy! I'm just a boy, an orphaned boy traveling!"

"I've questioned some of the men in the abbey with you. They say you followed them from the battlefield yet you've no armor on you. Did you desert?"

"I wasn't fighting! I…I don't even know how!"

"Whom do you acknowledge as your rightful king? Henry or my brother, Edward?"

"E…Edward, Your Grace."

The Duke poured himself a glass of wine. "I could send you back to the abbey…"

"Oh, please Your Grace."

"But I don't think a religious life is for you. Can you read and write?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Ride a horse?"

"Yes."

"But you've never handled a sword?"

"No, Your Grace."

"Then it's time you learned. You will come to court with us and I will have you trained. You be my squire."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Get some sleep. We have a long ride ahead of us."

London, England

Spring, 1471- Summer, 1472

They set out for London the following morning. Morgan rode at the Duke's side and when they arrived in London he was introduced to the Duke's brothers, Edward, the restored King and George, the Duke of Clarence. The moment Morgan's eyes met those of George's another vision passed before his eyes…the Duke lying facedown in a butt of red wine. He shook his head to clear it.

"A new squire Richard!" George teased. "This boy looks like he wouldn't even be able to lift a sword much less fight with one."

"He will learn," Richard declared. "Come, Morgan. Let's get you settled."

While they were walking, they spotted the Queen and her mother walking by. Richard bowed, motioning to Morgan to do so as well.

"Your Graces."

Jacquetta, Lady Rivers paused and stared hard at Morgan. "I have not seen you at court before."

"I…I have just been appointed His Grace's squire," Morgan replied.

"I'm just getting him settled," Richard explained. The Queen said nothing, simply nodded. Morgan sensed tension between her and his new master, yet he didn't dare question it. Richard spoke to the Queen and the lady briefly before they found their quarters in the palace. "Morgan, I will have one of my men come for you in the morning to begin your lessons."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Morgan had been asleep for only a few hours that night when he was awakened by another boy.

"You must come with me," he whispered.

"But I…"

"Shhh!" the boy warned. "Quickly!"

The boy led him through the corridors of the palace, knocking once on a closed door before they entered.

"Leave us," commanded Lady Rivers as she rose from her chair. The boy bowed and left the room. Morgan looked around and to his surprise, the Queen sat in a chair by the fireplace.

"Your Grace," Morgan greeted, bowing.

"Mother, why have you brought him here?" the Queen demanded.

"I'm sure you have heard from your Master that my daughter and I possess certain…gifts," Lady Rivers began. "And I believe you do as well."

"Mother, are you saying he is like us?"

"That is exactly what I am saying, Elizabeth. The moment I saw this boy I began seeing things that made no sense to me. He is not from England…nor anywhere near it. He is from another land, a land where true magic exists. Am I correct, Morgan?"

He didn't answer.

"There's no need to answer. I have Seen all I need to know."

"I…I don't have magic but I see things," Morgan confessed. "Sometimes the images are scattered and when I try to make sense of them, I am more confused."

"Then we must help you make sense of them if you will allow us to."

"Mother, he is Richard's boy."

"We can trust him, Elizabeth." Lady Rivers said firmly.

"Your Grace, I wish no harm to anyone. I only want to serve you to the best of my ability."

"You will continue to serve your master but at night you must come here so that we can tutor you and your visions will be less confusing. And we are curious to learn more about this land you come from."

He spent the rest of the evening with the Queen and her mother, a heavy burden lifted from his shoulders as he could finally speak freely about his life in Nonestica. He found both women easy to talk to and they would only interrupt him a few times to ask questions.

"It is late. You should return to your bed Morgan, but you will come tomorrow?" Elizabeth asked him.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Do you know where you need to go?"

He smiled. "I will find it, Your Grace."

Morgan slept easier that night knowing that he'd not only earned the trust of the Duke but the Queen and her mother as well but he would not be able to tell the Duke of his unusual circumstances.

True to his word, Richard appointed one of his knights to tutor the boy in combat though he frustrated his tutor while he was trying to learn swordplay and he went to bed exhausted every night yet he still kept his nighttime appointments with the Lady Rivers and the Queen.

"Do your visions seem less complicated to decipher now, Morgan?" Lady Rivers asked him one evening.

"They do, my lady. Thank you."

"I am told you're doing well with your knight's training," Elizabeth said.

"I do my best Your Grace, but I have not yet mastered swordplay."

"God willing you will learn quickly, and we will have another loyal man to fight at my husband's side should another war come."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that, Your Grace. There has been enough fighting."

"Do you believe the Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov are at peace in your land?"

"No, Your Grace. The goddess Demeter's curse will continue until it has done its work and both lines die out. I see nothing more of my native land, only England. This is my home now."

"And you are happy here?"

"How could I not be, Your Grace?"

"The court is full of gossip and intrigue. Choose your allies carefully Morgan."

"I will, Your Grace."

He may have been a mere squire, but Morgan was still privy to the gossip around the court and there were still whispers about the Queen, her mother and all the Woodvilles. He also still sensed the tension between his master the Duke and the middle brother George bur he didn't dare speak of it.

"I have an errand for you," Richard informed him one day.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"You are to go to my brother's residence and inquire on the health and well-being of the Lady Anne Neville."

"Yes, Your Grace."

He'd only seen the second of the late Earl of Warwick's daughters twice since her arrival at court. She'd been pardoned by the king for her role in the Earl's rebellion and for her marriage to Edward of Lancaster. She'd been sent to live with her sister Isabelle and the Duke of Clarence. She was also wealthy through the girls' mother lady Anne Beauchamp. The Lady Anne was now in sanctuary.

"His Grace, the Duke of Gloucester inquires after the health and well-being of the lady Anne Neville," Morgan announced to the Duke of Clarence.

"You may tell the Duke that my sister is in deep mourning for her husband and it would be very uncomfortable for her to be in mixed company at this time."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

He rode back to his master to deliver his news.

"Mourning?"

"You don't believe it Your Grace?"

"No, I do not. Morgan….Morgan, what is it? Are you ill?" Richard demanded when the boy seemed to be frozen in his boots.

"They are lying Your Grace," he murmured. "The Lady Anne is not well. She is unhappy. They are keeping her hidden for now, but they plan to send her to a nunnery. They want her half of the fortune."

Richard was stunned. The boy was uttering details that should not be known to one of his rank. Was it possible that he had the Sight as the Woodville women were rumored to? Morgan blinked his eyes.

"Forgive me, Your Grace. I was rambling."

"No, I do not believe you were. You See things, don't you?"

He nodded. "But I have not told many people for fear that I would be put to the fires."

"Who else knows? My brothers?"

"The Queen and her mother."

"Do not trust them completely, Morgan. They would use your talents for their benefit. I made my peace with them for Edward's sake, but I do not trust them."

"The Lady Rivers has been helping me decipher my visions."

"You must not tell her of this one," the Duke instructed. "What other secrets have you kept? I would know them all now."

"Will you cast me out?" Morgan asked fearfully.

"No, I would not. You have been loyal to me and to the king." He handed the boy a goblet. "Come, sit and tell me how you came here."

Once the boy finished his tale Richard leaned back in his chair and took another long sip of his wine. It was a fascinating tale for certain, that another land existed beyond theirs full of magic and mystery.

"Are there others like you here?"

"I have not seen them, Your Grace but I would know them."

"And the Queen and her mother know your true origins?"

"They do but I do not know if they have told the King."

"Again, I must advise you to take care whom you share your secrets with Morgan. I am opposed to witchcraft as it can be used for evil but the only unusual talent you have is your Sight." He smiled over the rim of the goblet. "In this case it has served you well. Lady Anne is my cousin and I have always been fond of her. Now with your assistance we can remove her from her unpleasant situation in my brother's household."

"Won't that cause an issue with your brother?"

"It will but I will handle it. In the meantime, see if you can speak to Anne and if you can…" He went to his desk and hastily wrote a note on a piece of parchment. "Give her this."

Morgan tucked the letter into his satchel. "I will do my best, Your Grace."

"You always do. Go, quickly!"

Stealth was not one of Morgan's strong suits, but he'd learned a great deal of it during his knight's training. He rode to the Clarence property in Coventry hoping that he would gain access to the Lady Anne and deliver the Duke's letter.

"Their Graces are not at home today," one of the Duchess's ladies informed him.

"I must speak to the Lady Anne on a private matter."

"Their Graces' instructions are that the Lady Anne is not to be disturbed during her period of mourning. I am sorry you rode all this way for nothing."

He smiled warmly. "May I take some refreshment before my ride back?"

The lady found the young flame haired squire charming and wanted to enjoy more of his company. She invited him into the house and offered him a goblet of wine and allowed him to break his fast.

"Are you wed, Squire Whitmore?"

"No, I'm not wed yet, but His Grace tells me that he will help me find a suitable bride when he feels I'm ready."

"Or the Woodvilles will choose one for you," the lady cautioned.

"I am a mere squire, of little value to them."

"You will be if you rise in their favor."

Morgan's eyes met hers across the table. "I will be careful."

The lady couldn't help thinking the boy would be a suitable match for one of her unwed daughters. He was handsome, charming, intelligent and she had no doubt he would rise high in the York court…if the Woodvilles allowed it. She agreed with her master and mistress that the Queen and her family had too much power and influence with the King and had the Lancastrian army not been defeated they would have been tossed out of court on their backsides or sent to the block.

"It is against Their Graces' orders, but I will take you to Lady Anne."

"Thank you, my lady."

She escorted him down the hall to the Lady Anne's chambers and closed the door behind them.

"Who are you?"

Morgan reached into his satchel and handed her the letter. "My name is Morgan Whitmore and I come from His Grace, the Duke of Gloucester. He is concerned for your health and well-being. Are you still in mourning, my lady or are you a prisoner here?"

"They will hold me here until they have taken the entire Warwick fortune," Anne said bitterly.

"His Grace assures me that all will be done to help you, Lady Anne."

She opened the letter and read the contents, smiling to herself then began composing a reply. "Take this back to His Grace."

"I will. Good day, Lady Anne."

Richard grew impatient waiting for Morgan's return. He knew he risked not only his brother's wrath but the king's with his latest scheme but he would not allow Anne to live as a prisoner in George's home any longer.

"Well?" he demanded when Morgan finally returned. He was exhausted from his long ride, yet he knew his master would not be willing to wait until he rested before he gave him his news.

The boy retrieved Anne's letter from his satchel and handed it to him. He read it quickly and threw it in the fire. At Coventry, Anne did the same with Richard's letter but she'd committed his wishes to memory. Soon she would be free from her brother-in-law's control with her fortune intact. She no longer cared if he still had possession of Isabelle's. Her sister had already proven untrustworthy by siding with her husband.

"You will ride back to Coventry in the morning and take another horse."

"Why would I need another horse, Your Grace?"

"For the Lady Anne. You will ride to London and take sanctuary until I arrive."

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Go make the preparations but tell no one where you are going. Simply reply that I have sent you on a private errand if you are questioned."

"Yes, Your Grace. Oh…and…Your Grace….if you wish to court the Lady Anne should she not know of your children?"

Richard bristled. "How did you know of…never mind. You saw it. Yes, I suppose I should though it will distress her. I will go and visit John and Katherine while you are bringing Anne to London. I will tell her then. My children will remain with their mothers and pose no threat to any children Anne and I will have."

"I saw nothing, Your Grace but I have heard others speak of them."

"I try to keep them away from court as much as possible to squelch any gossip. My brother has five illegitimate children by different women."

"The King?"

"Yes, the King. Once he has it in his mind to bed a woman, he weds her in a secret ceremony. He's done it with Elizabeth, and he's done it with another woman."

"Your Grace! If the king was already wed before he wed the Queen that means…that means the Queen's children are illegitimate!"

"It is difficult to prove, Morgan. Lady Eleanor Talbot is dead and if anyone were to speak of her now the King would deny everything. It's best forgotten to keep the peace in the realm. Go. There is much to be done."

Anne maintained her docile façade as best she could while she waited for Richard's squire to return though her brother-in-law's latest announcement terrified her. She would not go into a nunnery! She was the daughter of Richard of Warwick and widow to the former Prince of Wales. She would not settle for less than being the Duchess of Gloucester, a rank equal to her sister's and her husband would love her. There was nothing her mother could do to help her now for the Lady Warwick remained in sanctuary. Anne would have to secure her inheritance herself, the risks be damned.

It took Morgan several days to reach Coventry all the while praying that his mission would not be in vain. He breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived after midnight and found the Lady Anne waiting for him.

"Come. It's a long ride to London, Lady Anne!"

"I don't mind," she said and mounted her horse. "George plans to put me in a nunnery!"

"His Grace will make certain it doesn't happen. We must get away from here before anyone sees us!" They nudged their horses forward and was late in the morning before the alarm was raised and search parties sent out for the missing Lady Anne. Morgan and Anne made camp outside of London, they still had another day's ride before they reached the city The Duke had given Morgan instructions to hide the lady in an abbey until he returned from his visits with his children.

"Has he written to the Pope?" Anne inquired of him that evening over the fire.

"The Pope?"

"We are cousins and will need papal dispensation before we're wed. If not…it will be grounds for him to divorce me if his displeased with me."

"Lady Anne I don't believe he would ever divorce you. He's spoken of you fondly since I came into his service."

"Have you ever been in love, Morgan?"

He shook his head. "I hope to be one day and raise a family. I don't care if all I am is a squire. It's enough for me."

"I didn't love Edward. I only married him because my father wished it and I believe the Bad Queen only agreed to it to gain my father as an ally. I think she planned to have Edward divorce me and make another match."

"His Grace will not divorce you," Morgan said firmly.

"No. No he will not. We will be married and have a good life," Anne said confidently and rose. "Wake me when you are ready to depart."

They rose early the following morning and continued on to London. Per his master's instructions, he'd taken Lady Anne to a convent until the Duke could convince his brother to approve the match. They would also need the king's blessing. They would spent many hours in council with the king as their mediator. George was frustrated. He knew Edward would always side with Richard over him, never once forgetting his treachery with the late Earl of Warwick.

"George has accepted my terms," Richard announced to Morgan one afternoon after he'd finished his training. "I am grateful to you for your discretion in this matter."

"What have you offered if, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Oh, some lands and titles. They should appease him…for now. Now we wait for the dispensation to arrive. I feat the Pope may oppose it on the grounds of consanguinity."

"Because you are cousins?"

"Because our siblings are already wed," Richard replied. "I do not know how the laws work in your land but in mine such marriages can be deemed null and void. But I have taken the necessary precautions."

Morgan didn't press the issue; he'd done his duty by his master and the couple's future was in their own hands now. He saw the Lady Anne a few more times while the brothers haggled over the marriage terms, the lady becoming increasingly frustrated by George's stubbornness. The needed papal dispensation arrived in April but there were still more terms to be worked out. Finally in July Richard summoned Morgan to him again.

"Anne and I will be wed today. We'd like you to attend."

"Me? Your Grace, I am honored."

He was still only sixteen years old but the Nonestican refugee was rising high in favor in the House of York.


	3. The Earl of Mayford

Though she is referred to as Jane Shore in The White Queen, Edward IV's mistress's real name was Elizabeth Lambert and she will be referred to as Elizabeth. Also, the birthdate of Richard and Anne's son has been heavily disputed by historians occurring sometime between 1474 and 1476. I have decided to use 1476. Isabel's final letter in the White Queen also includes a slight change as it was her son Richard that she gave birth to before her death, not Edward and the scene at the party where George is arrested also reflects this change. The song the French used to mock the English army I discovered on the site Weapons and Warfare.

The United Realms Broadcasting Network Studios

Spring, 2018

"…Edward's reign seemed peaceful after Tewkesbury, but it was all an illusion," David was saying. "There were still a large number of nobles who were convinced the Woodvilles were attempting to rule through him and now that Queen Elizabeth had her male heir, they feared he would be ruled by them as well."

"You were not at court that much at this time, were you?" Rumple asked him.

"I still came to court to visit the Queen and Lady Rivers as I'd promised. Lady Rivers was in ill health. The Queen would also bear the king more children."

"Was one of them Richard, Duke of York?"

"Yes."

"Were there other issues that arose during this time period?"

"Yes. The King decided to go to war with France and his brother, the Duke of Clarence was attempting another rebellion, and no one really knew what happened to King Henry…"

London and Middleham Castle

Summer, 1472 – Summer, 1478

Morgan found that he enjoyed life at Middleham Castle than being at court. As a squire he rarely interacted with the nobles but gossip of their scandals and secrets always reached his ears in one way or another. The Woodvilles were still scorned by many at court but Morgan still enjoyed spending time with the Queen and her Lady Mother though he sensed the Lady Jacquetta's would not be with them much longer.

"Elizabeth must prepare herself," Lady Rivers confessed to him one evening. "I will not be here much longer. My heart is giving out. You've seen it, haven't you?"

"I have, my lady but I must tell you that I will be forever grateful for the time I've had with you. You….you have been like a mother to me. My own mother died when I was born, and my father blamed me for it. He always loved Martin more."

"Morgan, there is a favor I must ask of you."

"Anything, my lady."

"Will you….be a comfort to my daughter? She will need someone to confide in when I am gone. She has so few allies in this court and many enemies who believe she seduced the king into marrying her. Being Queen of England was her destiny, her crown did not come to her through sorcerey!"

"My lady, please do not upset yourself so!" Morgan poured her a glass of wine. She took it gratefully and sipped it slowly then leaned back in her chair and smiled.

"You will rise high in favor Morgan, and not through the schemes and machinations others have tried. No, you will rise by doing your best and being loyal…even when you feel you should not."

"Is this what you've seen, my lady?"

She nodded. He was not aware of it but in a few years' time her son-in-law would reward the young man's loyalty by creating an earldom for him, an earldom that would be carried through many generations.

"My lady, I must confess that I have been having some unsettling visions as of late that disturb me."

"What visions? Can you recall the details?"

"Children. I hear children crying from a room in the Tower. They're begging to be released but no one is listening to them and then…then I see them being smothered with pillows and hidden away…hidden away where no one will find them." He shivered at the memory.

"Can you see who the children are, Morgan."

"I can't see their faces. I just hear them."

"Your vision is warning you of a danger coming to children close to you," Jacquetta murmured.

"That's what I feared but what if I cannot prevent it?"

"Sometimes we can't, Morgan. That's the curse of our gifts."

Seeing that the lady needed to rest Morgan took his leave and retired to his quarters for the evening. The Duke was at court with his new Duchess, the Duchess visiting her sister while the Duke and his brother were still settling the terms of Anne's inheritance between them.

One evening Morgan awoke hearing a woman sobbing. He jumped out of his bed and raced up the stairs to see the Queen and King emerge from Jacquetta's chamber, the King comforting his wife.

"Your Grace….I am so sorry," he said softly. She nodded and leaned her head on her husband's shoulder, allowing him to escort her back to their own chamber. Once he was alone, Morgan shed his own tears for the woman who had become a second mother to him.

In June, a new yet familiar face arrived at court. Lady Margaret Beaufort had returned to court with her fourth husband, Thomas Stanley. Her son, Henry Tudor, was now the Lancastrian heir but he'd been sent away under the protection of his uncle Jasper, a half-brother of the former King Henry. She now served as lady-in-waiting to the Queen.

The death of the former king was also a subject of gossip. He'd died under mysterious circumstances in the Tower, some said he was heartbroken over the death of his only son and the loss of his crown but there also rumors that he'd been murdered on Edward's orders. He'd once broached the subject with the Duke, but Richard refused to speak of it. He never asked again.

"Will you be returning to Middleham soon?" the Queen inquired of Morgan during one of their private audiences.

"I believe so, Your Grace. The Duke prefers life in the country to life at court and so do I, meaning no disrespect of course."

"Sometimes I wish for a life away from court," Elizabeth confessed. "Nothing we say or do silences the wagging tongues about me and my family. All I want now is for there to be peace in the realm. There's been enough fighting. And I miss Mother so much."

"As do I, Your Grace. She was like a mother to me."

"She told me of those terrifying visions you had. Do you…do you think they could be about my children?"

"Have you seen anything that suggests they could be?"

"I don't have the Sight as Mother did. I am thinking of going on a pilgrimage soon. I would ask you to join me, but I think Richard wouldn't allow it. You've been such a comfort to me since Mother…"

"You could always ask, Your Grace. There is very little for me to do at Middleham besides my normal duties and practicing my fighting skills."

She smiled. "I will. Sometimes I am uneasy around Richard yet other times I remind myself that he has always been loyal to his brother….unlike George. I will never trust George Plantagenet! Never!"

"May I speak freely, Your Grace?"

"You may."

"I do not trust him either. I believe he covets the King's crown and would take it if given the opportunity."

The Queen's eyes narrowed to slits. "And there can be NO forgiving him this time when he fails! He is partially responsible for the deaths of my father and brother and I will NEVER forgive him!"

"I have not seen anything to suggest you are in any danger from him again."

"If you do, you must tell us immediately. I have taken the King into our confidence."

"He knows what I am?"

"We have no secrets from each other. He may send for you himself if need be so do not be surprised." She laughed. "It will probably to ask whether my next child will be a boy or a girl. I've given him so many already."

"You will give him a few more," Morgan murmured.

"I hope you find a wife who is as fertile as I am."

"Oh, I am not ready for marriage yet, Your Grace. I am only a squire."

"Still I have a few relations who are unmarried that may suit you."

He recalled the many warnings he'd been given that the Woodvilles would match anyone rising in favor with their unwed relations and though he was flattered by the Queen's offer, he wanted to choose his own bride.

"I wish to wed for love, Your Grace. As you did."

"Perhaps someday you will."

There was more tension in the air when Richard, Anne and Morgan returned to Middleham. Countess Anne Warwick was now a guest in Middleham Castle, but she was not happy about it.

"She's been filling Anne's head with tales that I've moved her here to get her fortune," Richard confessed to Morgan one day while they were out riding. "But she signed the inheritance over to us!"

"Your Grace, may I speak freely?"

"You may."

"I know it is not for me to question the actions of my betters Your Grace, but it does appear as if you've given her no other choice."

"I haven't," he admitted. "And I would tell no one else but you this, Morgan."

"May I ask why?"

"For Anne. I find it fitting that the Countess should lose her coveted fortune for leaving her daughter at the mercy of a woman like Margaret of Anjou and that son of hers. Yes, my marriage to Anne did make me a wealthy man, more so than George but the way he and Isabelle treated her was appalling. Now they are forced to respect her as her rank is equal to theirs again." He smiled. "But no more talk of that. Anne and I trying to have a child."

"That's wonderful news, Your Grace! And…have you told her of your other children?"

He nodded. "She was distressed at first, but I have assured her that they will be no threat to our children, and I will continue to visit them. I cannot abandon them now that I've married."

"Your Grace, I have heard other rumors at court that I feel you should be aware of. They concern the late king."

"Henry? What of him?"

"What happened to him?"

"He was devastated by his son's death and died as a result of it. Nothing more."

"He was killed. Did you have a hand in it?"

"You already know the truth so I cannot imagine why you're asking."

"I want to hear it from you. You Grace, you have trusted me with many secrets since I came to this realm and you know I would never speak any of them aloud. I have not seen anything about it, but it disturbs me. Henry was no threat to you. He barely had his wits about him."

Richard halted his horse and dismounted. "There is something you must understand Morgan. Henry may have been witless, but he was still power to the Lancastrians. He had to be removed for my brother's reign to continue without anymore conflict. No, I did not have a hand in the late king's demise, but I know when it was done and how."

Morgan nodded sadly.

"These are still dangerous times we live in Morgan. You must be careful whom you place your trust in. I know you still visit the Queen and I've permitted it as long as she poses no threat to me and mine." He sighed. "Now Edward speaks of invading France. I suppose my soldiering days will never be behind me. I would have you fight at my side but first you must be knighted. We will have the ceremony in London."

The United Realms Network Recording Studio

Spring, 2018

"So, you confessed to having knowledge of one murder?" Rumple demanded of King Richard.

"Yes."

"How many other deaths are on your hands, Your Grace?"

"You have documentation of the executions I've ordered and the reasons they were ordered but I did NOT order the deaths of my nephews."

"But YOU provided the opportunity for them to be killed!" David cried.

"Morgan…"

"You did!" David rose from his chair, hands on his hips and glared at his old friend. "They never should've been lodged in the Tower in the first place!"

"What did I tell you all those years ago? They were young boys, but they were still symbols of power to the Woodvilles. My brother was dead, and you know Elizabeth wanted Anthony Rivers to be Lord Protector against my brother's wishes! I had to remove them from their influence, Edward at least."

"It was a foolhardy plan and I warned you it would blow up in your face!"

"I never expected you to try to go against me."

"You should have! I knew I would probably go to the block for it, but I was NOT going to let you keep those boys locked up, but you'd already been warned of the attempt by Stanley, damn Stanley!"

"Who went against me as well," snorted Margaret Beaufort.

"You and I were lucky we didn't lose our heads, Lady Margaret," David said to the former Countess of Richmond.

"I spared you for different reasons. Lady Margaret was a woman and you were still my closest friend. I knew your position on the subject of the boys Morgan, but I also knew you would not side with Henry Tudor against me."

"You were still my king and though I didn't approve of how you took the crown, you were making some changes that the realm needed."

"Before we stopped Richard, you mentioned that Morgan was to undergo a knight's ceremony prior to your departure to France. This would make it 1475, correct?"

"Yes."

"I had just turned nineteen," David added. "And it would be my first major battle. I was nervous but ready to serve to the best of my ability."

"Do you recall any of the details of the ceremony?"

"I remember every minute of it," David murmured.

London

Summer, 1475

"Edward tells me he will be knighting you tomorrow evening. Wonderful!" the Queen exclaimed and embraced the nervous young man upon his arrival at court.

"I wish it were under different circumstances, Your Grace. This conflict with France…"

"I have already expressed my displeasure over it, but Edward still insists on going." She glared at the door. "I blame George. He wants to be made regent there once they've defeated the king's forces. He can never be regent. He will take that army and turn it against us. His mother says I've gone out of my way to paint him as a villain, but he's done that well enough himself. I despise him with every fiber of my being and someday he will suffer as my brother and father suffered."

"You have not laid a curse on him, have you?"

"No," she murmured.

"I hope not, Your Grace."

"Go on, get ready for your ceremony, Sir Morgan."

"I'm not Sir Morgan yet Your Grace."

"You will be come tomorrow evening and I couldn't be happier."

Later that evening Richard and several of his men burst into Morgan's room.

"Morgan, it's time for your bath!" Richard joked and motioned for his men to haul the young squire out of his bed. They took him down the hall where the tub had already been filled and his clothing laid out.

"He'll have to sit in there all night if he wants to be purified!"

"Needs to be clean if he wants to impress the ladies."

"Has he had one yet?"

"He wouldn't know what to do with one if he did."

"Oh, stop it you wretches! He's got a long night ahead of him and you're wasting time with your wagging tongues!" Richard laughed. "Now get his head! He can't go before the king with dirty hair!"

He smirked and shoved the squire's head under the water. "There! Now his head's clean!"

"Your Grace!" Morgan exclaimed when he resurfaced. "That's the second time you've done that to me!"

"Always when you least expect it! Come on. Let's get you dressed. You've got ten hours of prayer ahead of you."

They dressed him in a white vesture with a red velvet robe and on his legs, he wore black hose with black shoes. The white vesture was the symbol of purity, the red robe the symbol of nobility, the block hose and shoes, death. They then took him down to the chapel where a sword and shield had been placed. He made the sign of the cross and knelt.

"We'll see you in the morning," Richard said softly and closed the door behind them.

I will be brave.

I will defend the poor, the helpless and the honor of a lady.

I will be loyal to my lord, the Duke of Gloucester and to my King, Edward IV and my Queen, Elizabeth.

I will always speak the truth.

Richard returned early the next morning with the King, Queen and their children in attendance and then they took their seats for the Mass. After Mass the sword and shield were placed in Richard's hands for the blessing then were passed to Edward.

Morgan made the sign of the cross and knelt before the King and Queen.

"I, Morgan Whitmore, vow to never traffic with traitors. I will never give evil counsel to a lady, whether married or not. I will treat her with the utmost respect and defend her honor against all slights. I will observe all fasts and abstinences, and every day hear I Mass and make my offerings to the Church," he vowed. "I swear my allegiance to my lord, His Grace, the Duke of Gloucester, my King Edward IV and my Queen, Elizabeth."

Edward handed Morgan's sword to Elizabeth.

"I, Elizabeth, Queen of England, dub thee Sir Morgan Whitmore!" she announced, gently tapping him on each shoulder with the sword. "Rise, Sir Morgan!"

"Thank You, Your Grace," Morgan said softly.

Richard embraced his friend. "Today is your day, Sir Morgan."

"To the great hall!" Edward commanded.

"Congratulations, Sir Morgan," Morgan heard a young voice say when they entered the dining hall say and turned to see Princess Elizabeth standing beside him.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"May I….may I dance with you?" the young princess asked nervously.

"You will have the first dance, Your Highness," Morgan assured her with a smile.

"It seems our daughter is taken with our newest knight," Edward joked to his wife while he watched them dance.

"He is kind to our Elizabeth as he is to all women. I had hoped t match him with one of my unmarried relations."

"Perhaps he wants to choose his own wife."

"I do hope he finds one worthy of him, one whose eye never wanders."

The King stiffened knowing those words were meant for him as well.

"You dance very well Your Highness," Morgan praised.

"So, do you, Sir Morgan. I hope one day to find a husband like you. My lady mother speaks of you fondly." The young princess sighed. "But my marriage will be an arranged one."

"Some arranged marriages turn into love matches, Your Highness. Do not lose hope of that."

After their dance was over, he kissed her hand. "Thank you, Your Highness."

The Queen was now waiting for her dance. "I am so proud of you, Morgan."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

"I will rest easier knowing that a knight of your character will be serving my husband in France, but I still wish he would not fight at all. George has put him up to it, I know he has. He wants the regency in France so he can use it against us. He is dangerous!"

Morgan couldn't help but agree with that statement. He'd seen how cruel the Duke's brother could be through his actions with the Lady Anne and he was no better with his own wife, the Lady Anne's sister. There was little he could do as a knight, but he would watch the Duke of Clarence closely.

It was a wonderful evening and he enjoyed the company of all the ladies he'd danced with but there were none that caught his eye. Part of him didn't want to court a lady until he came home from France, if he did. He was nervous about being in his first major battle, but he would fight honorably and to the best of his ability.

They set out for France a few days later.

France

Summer, 1475

"There will be no fighting," Richard informed Morgan and his men upon their arrival in Calais.

"What? We've just gotten here!" Morgan exclaimed.

"The Kings are negotiating a treaty."

"Why aren't you there, Your Grace?" one of his soldiers inquired.

"You should be," Morgan reminded him.

"Yes, I should but I was not permitted to attend nor was my brother! George already seeks reasons to quarrel with Edward and he's just given them to him." Richard tossed his sword onto the table and sat, raking his hands through his hair. "Will this ever end? Go to your beds. Morgan, you will remain here."

"Yes, Your Grace."

Morgan poured himself a glass of wine and handed the other to his frustrated master. Richard sipped it gratefully then slammed the goblet down, startling Morgan.

"My brother," Richard said bitterly. "Is willing to accept a bribe from the French king not to invade. Our father would weep in shame seeing what we've come to. The three Sons of York…" He laughed harshly. "My father NEVER would have accepted a bribe….NEVER! He fought to the death to asset his own claim to the English crown."

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"The Queen has been writing to him begging him not to fight, so George tells me. I am not surprised. But to accept a bribe…."

"Your Grace, you may not want to hear this but perhaps it is best that we didn't go to war with them." Richard looked up, scowling. Morgan held up his hand. "Please, hear me out."

"Go on, Morgan. Speak plainly."

"We needed Charles of Burgundy's support and he hasn't given it nor has the Duke of Brittany and that gives King Louis the advantage. You know this, Your Grace."

"Aye, I do, and another term of the treaty is that Princess Elizabeth will be betrothed to the Dauphin." He took another long sip of his wine. "There will be no peace between us now."

"Then we are to leave?"

Richard nodded.

"Then I suppose we should all get some rest and depart in the morning." Morgan mumbled.

Later that night Richard wrote to Anne.

Anne,

Our campaign is a farce. King Louis has offered Edward terms of peace and he has taken them. His son is to marry Edward's daughter, so she will be the next Queen of France, and lots of gold. I cannot forgive him for this betrayal. I have always been heart and soul for my brother, Edward, but now I cannot meet his eye. We have become like merchants, haggling a price. Worse still, George's ambition is curdling to rage as this peace thwarts him most of all. Edward should beware him from this day.

While the Duke visited with his brothers Morgan remained at the camp, many of the soldiers angry that the country's monies and time had been wasted and there were rumors that the French had even composed a song to mock them.

"J'ay vu le roy d'Angleterre

Amener son grand ost

Pour la françois terre

Conquester bref et tost.

Le roy voyant l'affaire

Si bon vin leur donna

Que l'autre sans rien faire

Content s'en retourna!"

Their return to England was a somber one, Richard and George still furious with their brother, the people even more so while the Queen and her children were relieved that the King had come home safe and no blood was spilled. Morgan would never admit it to his master, but he was grateful they hadn't gone to war without Burgundy and Brittany support. Still he sensed that the failed conflict would widen the divisions between the sons of York. He was relieved when they returned home and even more so when Anne announced that she would soon have a child and nine months later she gave birth to a son she named Edward.

"It's time you were wed, Morgan!" Anne joked to him one day.

"I've yet to meet a lady that catches my fancy," Morgan confessed while he held young Edward in his arms.

"The Queen would match you with one of her relations," Anne cautioned. "Marry for love."

"I hope to," he murmured.

"There are rumors that Edward has another mistress," Anne said with a hint of glee in her voice.

"Elizabeth Lambert. The gossip has reached my ears as well."

The King's new mistress was the subject of many of his conversations with the Queen when he was a court.

"He lays with her as if he loves her…that she could so easily take my place!" the Queen wept. "After all I've done for him, all I've sacrificed, he sets me aside as if I'm nothing!"

"Your Grace, I still believe the King loves you, but I cannot say that I approve of a man having a mistress when he is wed in the eyes of God. I will do no such thing when I am wed. I will love my wife and be faithful to her."

"How am I to turn his affections back to me?"

"Through the child you carry, Your Grace," Morgan said with a smile.

"I am with child again?"

"After bearing so many, how could you miss the signs?"

"I have been distressed and paid no heed to them. I hope this child will thrive…my poor Margaret…" she sobbed referring to the child she bore years before that died before she was a year old.

"You must hold on to hope that this child will thrive, Your Grace."

"Have you given any thought to having your own child, Morgan?"

He chuckled. "You always ask, and I have the same answer. I hope to wed for love, but no woman has caught my eye yet. Perhaps one day."

As Morgan predicted the Queen gave birth to another child, a third boy she named George. The King still spent many nights with Elizabeth Lambert, but she was unlike many of his other mistresses, using her influence with the king to get him to pardon those who fell out of favor with him. Many at court were pleased to see the Queen take second fiddle to a mistress but the Queen was quick to remind everyone that she would not be put aside so easily.

In the summer of 1476, Richard was summoned back to court for a private audience with the King to receive an answer to the letters he'd been writing to him after being granted lands in a small village called Mayford. He knew he was taking a gamble with his request, but he felt his brother would agree that the man he wished to have ennobled as the Earl of Mayford had earned the right.

"I've given your proposal careful consideration Richard and I agree that it's time. He's proven himself loyal to the House of York and he should be rewarded. We will hold the ceremony tomorrow."

Richard smiled. "Thank you, Edward."

The next day a nervous Morgan found himself the center of attention yet again in the throne room as the King rose.

"From this day forward, you, Morgan Whitmore, shall be known as the Earl of Mayford!" he announced and handed Morgan the letters patent of his new office. "This title will then pass to your male heirs and if you have no male heirs to succeed you then the title will pass through your female heirs."

"Thank you, Your Grace."

Morgan rose to his feet and faced his new peers, seeing the Duke of Clarence glaring at him hatefully. In the Duke's eyes, Mayford was yet another title and property he felt he deserved.

The United Realms Broadcasting Network

Spring, 2018

There was a brief intermission while several more seats were added to the table to accommodate the new guests that had appeared at Rumple's summoning. They were Isabel and Anne Neville, the Duke of Clarence, King Edward and Queen Elizabeth, and their daughter, Elizabeth of York.

"Thank you for joining us, Your Graces. We have now come to the winter of 1476. Your Grace, you have just invested Morgan Whitmore with the title of Earl of Mayford."

"Yes. For his loyal service to the House of York. Mayford was one of Richard's holdings in the North, a small one at that and I didn't think it would be an issue if I granted it to his close friend," King Edward confirmed.

"Was there an issue?"

"Yes! It should've been mine!" raged Clarence. "You always gave Richard more than me."

"You thought you could have everything you ever wanted but you didn't deserve it!" Queen Elizabeth hissed. "And so you plotted against my husband."

"You killed my wife and son. You cursed us, you evil witch!"

"I did not!"

"You were the one ruling England, not my brother! He always did YOUR bidding!"

"You went against us with the Earl of Warwick," Richard reminded his brother. "Because you thought he would make you king."

"The madness began before my death," Isabelle said sadly.

"Can you tell us what you recall before your death, Your Grace?" Rumple inquired of Isabel.

"I had just given birth to my son Richard and I was terribly ill. I believed the Queen had cursed us, so I wished to stay away from court. George believed I'd been poisoned by the queen."

The Queen scoffed. "More lies! Why would I have you poisoned, you silly chit? You were no threat to me. Your husband was the true threat."

Isabel ignored her and continued. "I'd sent word to Anne that I longed to see her."

Rumple now turned to Anne.

"I was too late," Anne sobbed. "Isabel was already dead when I arrived and George was mad with grief, claiming that the Queen had her poisoned."

"This was during the winter of 1476, correct?"

"Yes."

"From that day on I vowed to bring that witch down," George snarled.

Tewkesbury and London

Winter, 1476 – Summer, 1478

My dearest Annie.

I've had my baby boy, Richard. He's a cheruby little thing but Annie, George says the witch will try and poison him while he's small and weak so he's paying a sorcerer, a man named Burdett to ward off evil spells.

Annie, I'm ill. I'm bedridden. George says the Queen has poisoned me. Either that or it's her curse on me. I'm frightened, Annie. I need you. Burn this.

Anne tossed the letter into the fire as instructed and glanced up at her husband and his friend.

"A sorcerer?"

Richard shook his head. "How could the queen be poisoning Isabel? They are at Tewkesbury, away from her reach."

"Richard, I need to go. I need to see my sister."

Morgan stiffened as an image flashed before his eyes.

"You must hurry Anne!" he murmured.

"Ready the horses!" Richard shouted. "Morgan, will you ride with us?"

"Yes. I hope we're not too late."

By the time they reached Tewkesbury it was already too late as Anne had feared. They left her to mourn her sister in peace while they adjourned to George's study.

"Is what Isabel has written to my wife true? Did you hire a sorcerer?" Richard demanded of his brother. George scowled at him.

"You have a seer in your household. Why should I not have a sorcerer?"

"You have no idea of the dangers you place yourself in when dealing with magic, especially dark magic!" Morgan shouted. "Now that you know who I am, I hope that you'll listen to me. I still don't know how magic works in this land but in mine dark magic always comes with a price and you will be the one to pay it!"

"I will do what I have to do to destroy that witch!" George snarled and stormed out of the room.

"Richard, you must try to reason with him."

"I have tried Morgan! I don't know what else I can do."

"He must regain control of his senses or…"

"You've seen something, haven't you?"

Morgan raised his head and met his friend's eyes. "Death. I've seen his death, Richard."

"I will do what I can Morgan, but I fear it won't be enough. George is still angry over the situation in France and I fear he's not only going to try to destroy the Queen, he'll destroy Edward with her."

The situation only grew worse as time went on. Word had reached the court that George had arrested one of Isabel's ladies in waiting Ankarette Twynyho and had her executed for poisoning the late duchess. He was furious that Edward refused the proposed match between him and Mary of Burgundy. He had also publicly accused the Queen of witchcraft, claiming that she'd had Isabel and now two of his children killed as young Richard had died at Warwick castle in January of 1477.

Now that he was the lord of his own estates, Morgan spent less and less time at court but since his lands bordered Richard's the two saw each other often and Richard kept him up to date on events at court.

"You are well loved here in Mayford, Morgan but this large house must be lonely," Anne said to him during one of their visits.

"Still trying to convince me to find a bride?" he teased.

"I won't stop trying."

The Queen hadn't either. She and the King had also come to Mayford during progress and brought their children with them along with a few of the Queen's unwed relations. They were charming ladies, but he had no interest in courting any of them.

"Are you returning to court for Edward's celebration of the fifteenth year of his reign?" Richard inquired.

"I wasn't given much of a choice," he joked.

Richard sighed. "I fear George may appear and make a spectacle of himself."

"The king has ordered his arrest?"

"He was told George hired a sorcerer. They went to Tewkesbury, found the man and executed him but I fear my brother has done far worse than this. He's on the run now."

"I will watch for him."

London

Summer, 1478

"Smile and behold our most glorious sight! Follow the creatures! Follow the light! Come now and honor the years of your King! Come and exalt him! Come now and sing!" a dancer beckoned as the masked guests entered the main hall.

"Richard, all the men are armed," Anne whispered in his ear.

"Everyone is siding for or against the Queen. Edward fears she will be assassinated, given all the rumors."

"But Richard, wait, Richard!" Anne hissed.

Her husband was already engaged in conversation with Morgan and a woman wearing a fox mask.

"We have examined the sorcerer's charts and it's even worse than I thought. George has been foretelling my death," Edward said to the Queen.

"What will you do?"

"What can I do? He is my brother."

"Look at her, acting like the King herself," George whispered to Anne.

"George, you shouldn't be here!"

"I'm not afraid of either of them."

"My sorcerer has told me that the witch will give the Princes over to their killer with her own hand. She will end her line herself."

"George, please be quiet! It is forbidden to predict the death of royalty."

"And to kill a royal Duchess, to murder your sister. They didn't let that stop them."

"Richard! He's here!" Morgan whispered to his friend. "Lady Anne, would you excuse us for a moment?" he asked the woman he'd been speaking to.

"We will dance later, Lord Mayford?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," he promised.

The two men began to search the crowd.

"My friend, Thomas Burdett, refused the quicker death that he was entitled if he had confessed to his guilt. Now what does this tell you about that man?"

"George, you coward!" the King shouted.

"If he had confessed, his heirs could have inherited, but he refused Where is he? Because this man, this man was innocent! So, your King, your great King, your beloved Edward, is a murderer! Just as you have murdered before, eh, Edward? When you took a pillow and you smothered old King Henry!" George shouted as he approached the king. "And who bade you do it? That evil witch, Elizabeth Rivers! And you killed my wife and you killed two of my children!"

"Somebody take him. He's gone mad!" Edward commanded.

"And you still don't see it!"

"Anthony, Richard, seize him!"

"She's dragging this country to hell!"

"George, stop it!" Richard pleaded as he and Anthony Woodvile seized the Duke and started to drag him away while he kept screaming out his rage.

"And she's taking us all with her!"

"George, stop it! Be quiet, George!"

"Edward! You'll burn in hell for this!"

Now no one felt like celebrating. The party was abruptly ended, and everyone returned to their chambers for the night. A few days later the Duke went on trial for treason with the King acting as prosecutor. With no one defending there was little chance the Duke would escape with his life this time. The King presented his damning evidence, including a chart that had predicted his own death and details of a plot to overthrow him yet again.

Morgan remained at court and began spending a great deal of time with Lady Anne Claycombe, a distant relation of the Queen's that had just arrived at court. She was only a few years younger than Morgan and he found her charming despite warnings from others at court that she would no doubt be as manipulative as her Woodville cousins.

"I've heard rumors that you are now courting Lady Claycombe," Richard said to him one morning when he returned to court.

He smiled.

"I am. She's a lovely girl."

"Are you now thinking of marriage?"

"I will approach the King and Queen when I feel the time is right. What news of your brother?"

Richard sighed heavily. "He will be executed. Mother is devastated. Sometimes I think she wishes it were me or Edward that were to die. George was always her favorite. George has chosen to be drowned in a butt of Malmsey Wine….Morgan, what is it? You are as pale as a ghost!"

"That is the death I saw for him the day I met him," Morgan confessed.

"There was no preventing it, was it?"

"I'm afraid not. George chose his own path."

"The execution will be held today."

"Richard….I am so sorry."

"Anne and I will take the children and return to Warwick Castle. I no longer wish to be at court now and I would suggest you leave as well, Morgan."

"I don't want to leave Anne."

Richard embraced his friend. "I wish you well, Morgan. I truly do."

The United Realms Network Studio

Spring, 2018

"…The only other major issue during the final years of my reign was my backing of Alexander Stewart to overthrow James III in Scotland," Edward was saying.

"This was in 1482, a year prior to your death?"

"Correct."

"And your son Edward was living in Ludlow at that time under the guardianship of his uncle Antony Woodville?"

"Yes."

"I led an army into Scotland, and we captured the King and the city of Edinburgh, but Stewart backed out and we returned to England. Morgan needed to return home anyway. He'd received news that his wife was seriously ill."

"You're speaking of Anne Claycombe, Morgan's first wife."

"Yes," Richard said bitterly. "Though she could hardly be called a wife!"

His own wife nodded in agreement.

David sighed. "I'd been warned numerous times to be wary of marrying anyone attached to the Woodville family, but I cast it aside as nothing more than spite. I courted Anne for a year before I finally asked for permission to marry her…"

London

Fall, 1479

"…Of course, you have my blessing!" the Queen exclaimed and embraced her cousin and friend. "You couldn't have chosen a better man as a husband, Anne. You will be married here at court of course and the King will give you away himself!"

"I'd be honored to," Edward said softly. "I told you it was past time you were wed, Morgan. Now you can find out what you've been missing all these years!"

Morgan cleared his throat. "Your Grace, we will stay at court until after the wedding but then I would like your permission to return to Mayford."

"Of course. You'll want to try to get yourself an heir as soon as possible." Edward winked at the earl.

"Edward!" the Queen scolded. "Now, Anne, come with me and we'll get you fitted for your wedding gown!"

"Is Richard here, Your Grace?"

"He is. You'll find him in his quarters."

After his audience with the King and Queen, Morgan sought out his closest friends in their quarters.

"I already know what you're coming to tell me Morgan. News travels fast at court."

"The Queen wants to have the wedding here."

"Of course she does," Anne said with a hint of bitterness. Richard glared at her. "Morgan, I do hope you aren't making a mistake. She is one of them."

"Nan's been living in the country most of her life, too far away to be influenced by anyone. And I do love her."

"Do you?"

"Yes."

Though it wasn't the all-consuming passion he'd expected, he knew he cared for her when she was the first thought on his mind when he awoke and the last thing on his mind when he went to sleep at night. They shared many interests, including a passion for riding across the countryside. His only concern was that she'd been a bit too bold with her affections the few times they were alone without an escort, but he'd never allowed their intimacies to cross the line of what was appropriate before marriage.

Three days later Lady Anne Claycombe, distant cousin to the Queen of England became Morgan Whitmore's wife and the Countess of Mayford. It was a wonderful celebration but there were a few guests who hid their disapproval behind false smiles; two of them the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the other Morgan would come to know well in the first year of the marriage.

His friends had prepared him as best the could for his first night as a bridegroom, but Morgan was still nervous as the King and Richard escorted him into the bride's chamber.

"We bring you your husband, Countess!" Edward laughed and shoved Morgan into the room. "Have a good night!" They slammed the door behind them.

He was as gentle as he could be with his new bride but after she lay beside him weeping.

"I am sorry Nan."

"It's not your fault. I was told there would be some pain, but I didn't expect it to hurt so much! I…I do not think I would like to do this often…"

"I'd never force you," he murmured.

"You are my husband. It is your right."

"Nevertheless, I'd never take you by force."

"Perhaps in time I'll find pleasure in it."

He kissed her gently. "I will be patient. Good night Nan."

True to his word, he was patient with his new bride, but she still found no pleasure in their evenings together in her bedchamber. After three months he decided that he would no longer visit her bedchamber again, not wanting to distress her any further, but he was pleased when the physician announced that she was with child. Instead of being pleased, Anne was melancholy, fearing as all women did that she would not survive the birthing.

Morgan told no one of his and Anne's arrangement but he was hopeful she would be willing to let him visit her again after the child was born. While other men would have taken a mistress, Morgan vowed to be faithful to his wife even if they were wed in name only.

Two months prior to the child's birth Nan went into confinement. Though it was a lonely time for Morgan, Richard and Anne would often visit him at Mayford to help him pass the time. He was hoping for a son and heir, but he also longed to have a daughter.

"My lord! My lord! The Countess has delivered a healthy daughter!" his page announced.

"A daughter! Richard, I have a daughter!" Morgan exclaimed and raced into the house. The midwife placed the small bundle int his arms. He peeled back the blanket and gazed into a pair of blue eyes like his own.

"She's beautiful Morgan!" Anne praised.

"Indeed, she is." Richard murmured.

"My wife. Is she well?" Morgan inquired of the midwife.

"She must rest my lord."

"I will see her now."

Nan's head was turned toward the window when Morgan entered the bedchamber.

"You have given me a beautiful daughter madam." He leaned down and kissed her gently. "And I love you both very much."

"I am tired Morgan," she murmured.

"Of course you must rest but I will see you when you're well." He kissed her again.

They named their daughter Jane and Morgan's hopes that his wife's affections would return to him following Jane's birth were extinguished quickly when she became more distant with him and seemed to have no interest in their child either.

"What can I do, Nan?" he asked her one day when he found her sitting in front of the hearth staring into space.

"Leave me," she mumbled and turned her head away.

Still distressed, he summoned a physician that could find no cause for his wife's melancholy. He suggested that she spend more time outdoors and Morgan would often ask her to go for rides with him, but she refused, nor did she have any interest in going to court though the Queen had summoned her several times. Morgan wrote back that Nan was still recovering from the birth and would return to court when she was well.

"I am to leave for Scotland," Morgan informed her one day. "We must discuss what is to be done should I not return."

Nan nodded.

"If you receive word that I have died on the battlefield you are to take Jane to court and after you have observed the proper period of mourning you are free to marry again. Jane will inherit the title of Countess of Mayford and I have appointed Richard to be her guardian until she comes of age. I will not have anyone wed her in the hopes of snatching her fortune out from under her. Nor will any man you wed be able to snatch yours."

"You've settled everything. Why do we need to discuss it any further?"

"I know our marriage has not been all you've hoped for Nan, but I would not have you left penniless…and I do love you."

She rose from her chair and gave him a peck on the cheek. "May God protect you, Morgan."

He and Richard rode out at dawn, meeting their forces at the border before they began their march into Scotland, joining with Lord Stewart's forces by the time they reached Edinburgh.

Though they'd failed to put the Earl of Albany on the throne of Scotland, Richard was content that they'd at least secured a small victory in Scotland, far better than the disaster in France years earlier.

"We could have taken Edinburgh and the King if he hadn't gotten to Darnley," Richard said to Morgan upon their return to England. While they were riding Morgan spotted one of his men galloping toward them.

"Lord Mayford!" he cried as he approached.

"Thomas?"

The rider passed him a note. Morgan broke the seal and read the contents, his face pale.

"Morgan?" Richard asked worriedly.

"I must ride back to Mayford. Nan is ill! Hurry Thomas!" Morgan instructed the young rider. The pair rode through the night and reached Mayford early the following day. He raced upstairs to his wife's bedchamber only to be held back by his steward.

"My lord, the physician says you cannot go in. He will speak to you in your study."

"Come then," he said angrily.

He found the physician awaiting him in his study.

"What ails my wife?" the earl demanded.

"My lord, forgive me for asking such a delicate question but when was the last time you and the Countess had…ahhh…relations?"

"We have not since before Jane was born. What has that to do with Nan's illness?"

"My lord, I believe the countess has contracted a disease that is common among those who are ahhh….loose with their favors. Normally I see this with soldiers, rarely with the ladies unless they reside in brothels."

"WHAT?! How dare you accuse my wife of such…such appalling behavior! I'll have you tossed out of here on your arse for telling such lies!"

"She has all the symptoms, my lord."

"You are certain?"

"I am afraid so."

"I will speak with my wife and if I find you are telling lies…."

"My lord I only speak the truth."

"We'll see!"

Nan opened her eyes slowly and moaned when she saw her husband sitting beside her bed.

"Morgan…"

"I have been told what ails you Nan."

"Forgive me…" she whispered.

"Is it true? Have you…have you cuckolded me and this…this…illness you have is the result of it? The truth now, madam. It will do you no good to lie now."

"I have…Morgan, please…forgive me…"

"Why?" he demanded, fighting back tears. "I've done all I could to be a good husband to you. How did I fail you?"

"I tried to love you…but I couldn't…"

"Why?"

"Because I loved another…before you…but my family refused the match because he was of low birth. Because you were so young and….lacked experience….they thought you would not be able to tell I was not a maid."

"But there was blood on the sheets…"

"Animal blood. I stained the sheets with them while you slept. I…I was hoping you would obtain an annulment if I refused to lie with you…I never expected to bear a child…and I am not certain Jane is yours."

"She is mine," Morgan insisted. "She bears a certain mark that only members of my family possess. I would have sought an annulment had you come to me and told me you loved another. Did the Queen know of your…indiscretions prior to our marriage?"

"No. Only my father and nurse knew of them."

"Has he been your only lover? The truth, madam."

"He has been my only lover but now I suspect he's been with other women…."

"Women from brothels, I fear. When did you see him?"

"At night…when you retired or when you were away. Morgan, please…I beg your forgiveness."

"You've deceived me, you've cuckolded me and you've neglected our daughter and by rights I should not forgive you…but I will do so for our daughter's sake and my own peace of mind. Now rest and I will speak with the physician and see what must be done."

The physician's words offered the Earl little comfort. He knew of no cure for the Countess's illness, merely suggested that she be kept comfortable until the end.

"You will speak to no one about the true cause of the Countess's illness. Anyone who asks will be told she is suffering from consumption. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my lord."

Six months later Morgan stood at his wife's freshly dug grave holding his daughter's hand in his.

"My lady mother is with the Lord now Papa?"

"Yes, poppet, your lady mother is now with the Lord." He lifted her in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"You won't go to the Lord now, will you Papa?"

"Oh, no poppet. It will be a long time before your papa must go to the Lord," he murmured into her shoulder as he carried her back to the manor.


	4. Loyalty Binds Me

The United Realms Network Studio

Spring, 2018

"We now come to the year 1483 and the events that are at the heart of the mystery of the lost Princes."

"My health started to decline in the spring. I was constantly ill but at the time no one knew why. Some claimed I'd gotten lazy in my later years which…I had been inactive for a while. Pneumonia was suggested as was typhoid. There were always rumors of poison about the court when anyone died."

"Yet in the final weeks of your life you made some significant changes to your will, did you not?"

"Yes, I did."

"Was one of those changes whom you chose as Lord Protector during your son and heir's minority?"

"It was."

"Whom was assumed to be Lord Protector?"

Edward glanced over at his wife. "Anthony Woodville."

"And whom did you name?"

"My brother, Richard."

"Yet the Prince was under the guardianship of Anthony Woodville during his years in Ludlow, correct?"

"He was."

"Why did you replace him with your brother?"

"I was not the fool people believed me to be. I knew of the resentment many bore toward my wife's family and I believed that if I named my brother as Lord Protector it would ensure peace and avoid conflict. I was wrong….terribly wrong," the king murmured.

"Your Grace, can you tell us where you were in the spring of 1483?" Rumple inquired of Richard.

"Anne and I had returned to our estates, but we spent a great deal of time at Mayford. It was a difficult time for Morgan. He was still coping with the loss of his wife and raising his daughter alone."

"I intended to take the true reason for Nan's death to my grave, but I had always trusted Richard with my secrets as he trusted me with his. It was a difficult time, but Richard had no desire to return to court and neither did I. We only went when summoned, which wasn't often."

"Lord Mayford, were either of you aware the king was in ill health?"

"No," he and his friend replied in unison.

"I received word Edward was ill and Anne, Morgan and I rode for England hoping that we would reach him in time…"

Rumple now turned to one of the other occupants of the table. "Lady Margaret, where was your son at this time?"

"Still in exile. He'd been given back his rightful title as the Earl of Richmond, but he still posed a threat to the House of York. I sent word to Jasper that he should remain in exile," Margaret Beaufort spoke up.

"You'd been at court for years witnessing some of these events yourself, correct?"

"Yes."

Rumple leaned forward. "More like waiting for the opportunity to strike, eh dearie?"

"My son was the rightful heir to the throne that the Plantagenets usurped from his uncle King Henry!" Margaret said angrily. "We were merely taking back what was rightfully ours! And yes, we waited for our moment and we took it!"

"It was the usurper Richard that gave us our moment," added her son.

"You had to walk past five coffins to get to your throne and your mother laid enough groundwork for you to do it, didn't she?"

"Rumple, Henry's right. This didn't start with Margaret. It started with Richard," David defended. The former Countess of Richmond smiled at him. "But you can't deny you took some risks of your own, Margaret. You couldn't claim the crown in your own right, but you paved the way for the one person who could."

"But first….one of you had to remove the two boys whose claim was stronger than yours," Rumple glared at some of the occupants of the table.

"Three of you had motive, means and opportunity," David said and stood up, now sounding like the former homicide inspector he'd been in his second life. "Edward, the moment you took your last breath your son became the rightful King of England, but it was YOU who would hold most of the power until he came of age as Lord Protector, Richard!"

The former king bowed his head. "Now you're seeing firsthand some of the disputes Morgan and I had over this."

London

Spring, 1483- Summer, 1483

"We thank you, Your Grace, for sending for us. How is my brother?" Richard asked when he, Anne, and Morgan arrived at court. Their children remained at Warwick Castle under the care of their nurses.

"You're here just in time," the Queen said flatly.

"You saw the look she cut us," Anne whispered.

"Her fortunes fade with the King. She's like a wounded beast defending her lair. And you're a threat. Be wary," Duchess Cecily advised.

"Your Highness," Morgan bowed to the young Elizabeth.

"Will he die, Morgan? Mother says you have the sight. Please tell me."

Morgan glanced over at the open door of the king's chamber. He already knew the answer for he'd seen it the moment Richard arrived at Mayford asking him to accompany them to London. The king's time on Earth grew short and soon a dark cloud would hover over the land.

"Your Highness, please. You must hope the king will recover."

"I want to. I want to so much," she croaked and buried her face in his shoulder.

"It is the fate of kings that we never get to see what kind of ruler our sons will be. I will never get to know what kind of man my sweet boy will become. I beg you be as one now. Care for Prince Edward. Keep him safe," the king pleaded weakly.

"I will work with all of you to put Prince Edward on the throne," the queen murmured.

"Richard shall be guardian."

"As you wish."

"Surely you mean Anthony?" the queen protested.

"Richard is Lord Protector until Prince Edward comes of age. Do you accept this, Elizabeth?"

She nodded.

"Now leave us. I want to say goodbye to my husband."

"Look upon your king one last time and remember him in your prayers. I will honor your wish." Richard said to his brother before he and the others left the room.

"Richard?" Morgan asked, still comforting the weeping eldest princess. He shook his head. Moments later they heard sobbing in the royal bedchamber.

"Mother? Mother!" Elizabeth exclaimed and burst into tears. Morgan's hand gripped one of the columns tightly as visions flashed before his eyes.

"Let us out, let us out!" he heard two boys scream as they pounded on the door of the Tower room.

The moon passed over the sun and the realm was dark as night while on a bush in a garden the white roses withered and died.

A young man carrying a shield with the symbol of a dragon rode through the field, a king was thrown from his horse and cried out "Treason!" as a group of men surrounded him and battered him to death, stripped him of his armor and tossed him naked as the day he was born over the back of a horse. The circlet; plucked from the helmet of the fallen king was placed on the head of the young man while the fallen king was tossed into a freshly dug hole and quickly covered over.

"No….no…" he moaned.

"Get that boy," the Duchess instructed.

"Mother, please, not now," Richard pleaded.

"She's right. Keep him away from her," Anne added.

"She accepted Edward's decision."

"So Edward would die happy. She was lying through gritted teeth." Cecily said bitterly.

"She had George executed, poisoned Isabel, who knows what she'd do to secure the throne for the Rivers!"

"Your sister died from childbirth! I know you don't trust her. I know to be careful and I know what has to be done. So, leave being Lord Protector to me." Richard said firmly. "Morgan. Come. We ride to Ludlow. Morgan!" He shook his friend's shoulder.

"I…I will stay here with the Queen," he mumbled.

Anne shook her head. "Why?"

"Because she is still my friend…and she has just lost her husband," he informed her coolly and left them standing there. He found the Queen in her chamber with her younger children, all clinging to each other in grief. "Your Grace."

"Morgan," the queen sobbed. He knelt beside her. "I loved him so much…I never thought…." She raised her tear-filled eyes to his. "They will have me sent away. I need my son to protect me."

"Your Grace, please! Richard gave his word."

"I don't trust any of them now!" she cried. "I just want my son on the throne as he should be but if the Duchess has her way, I'll have nothing. She still bears me ill will over George's death."

"Your Grace now is not the time to focus on matters of state. You've lost your husband and you must give yourself time to mourn. Leave the affairs of state to Richard. I beg you…" He knelt beside her and took her hands in his. "As one who has lost a spouse to another, mourn your husband and care for your children. They need you."

"Your Jane, have you brought her with you?"

"No, she is at Warwick Castle with the other children though I miss her very much."

"Please, bring her to London often. The children would enjoy her company."

"Or perhaps you could come to Mayford. Time away from court would do you all some good. My estates are small but comfortable."

"I would rather go there than in exile at Grafton."

"You will not be exiled Your Grace. I will do all I can to ensure that you're not."

"I thank you for your kindness Morgan, but we know there is very little you can do. Ennobling you was one of the wisest choices my Edward made. You were a great comfort to me when I lost Mother."

"I feel I have lost a friend on this day, Your Grace."

"Please, call me Elizabeth. I am only a Dowager Queen now."

Morgan stayed with the queen until she and the children were ready to retire and then went to his own quarters, the visions he'd been given haunting his dreams. The next morning, he awoke to dark storm clouds hovering over the city. The storm had begun, and his heart was filled with dread.

Shortly after the King's funeral Morgan sent word that his daughter be brought to court. Jane was excited at the prospect of having new playmates in the royal children even if they were much older than her. Elizabeth anxiously awaited the arrival of the new king.

"Thank you for coming so quickly Thomas," Morgan greeted his servant once he arrived. "Was the journey difficult?"

"Not all though the Lady Jane did wish to stop a few times to enjoy the countryside."

"Ah, she enjoys the outdoors like her papa."

"My lord, I have some news. May we talk somewhere more private."

"Come." Morgan led his servant outside. "What news?"

"My lord, Lord Rivers and Lord Grey have been arrested."

"Arrested? For what? On whose orders?"

"The Lord Protector's orders."

"Tell me everything you've heard. Leave nothing out!"

"My lord I have spoken to several of the Duke's men and they told me the Duke, the Lord Rivers and Richard Grey dined at Stony Stratford with the King when the duke arrived but the following morning Richard Grey and Lord Rivers were arrested along with the King's chamberlain, Vaughn. The King was angry, demanded their release but the Duke would have none of it. He discharged the King's household and brought the boy here."

"Where, Thomas!" the earl demanded.

"I don't know, my lord."

"Has the dowager Queen been informed?"

"I think not."

"Go to the Queen. Tell her what you've just told me and remain there with her and the children!"

"My lord, what will you do?"

"I will find out what I can," Morgan growled.

Soon the court was abuzz with gossip about the arrests of the dowager Queen's brother and son, many now believing that the Queen's fears for her safety and that of her family were well founded while others relished seeing the Woodvilles fall from grace. Lines were drawn, friendship and alliances shattered as everyone chose a side.

"Where is Edward!?" Morgan demanded when he stormed into Richard's chambers one morning.

"Leave us," the Lord Protector demanded of his servants. "How dare you come in here and presume…"

"I do because I can, and I demand an answer Richard. Where is the King!?"

"He is in the Tower. Where all kings reside until their coronation."

"Why did you arrest Lord Rivers and Richard Grey? Elizabeth is frantic."

"Ah, so it's Elizabeth now," the duke sneered. "Has she bewitched you into her bed as well?"

"You know better than that! I have no intentions of marrying again or taking a mistress. Elizabeth is my friend and a mother concerned for her child's well-being."

"And she plots against me. You know this Morgan. She will attempt to rule England through the boy, and I will not have it. I gave my word to my brother that I will honor his wishes and I will do…by any means necessary. Elizabeth would have ordered her brother to raise an army against me."

"That's your mother talking!"

"No, that is the truth. I take my own council Lord Mayford and no one else's. Go, let the dowager queen weep on your shoulder or in your bed and leave the business of this realm to me."

"Richard, don't do this. I beg you," Morgan pleaded. "The dark clouds hover over England, the raindrops that fall will be the blood of the innocent….the sun in splendor will hide behind the moon and the white rose will wither and die! The boar will burn under the dragon's fiery breath!"

"You're trying to frighten me."

"I'm trying to help you, dammit! Please, don't turn your back on me now. You are the best friend I have in this realm!"

"I will do what is best for England."

"At least let me see him."

"You may and go to his mother to reassure her he is well cared for."

Morgan's fears only worsened when he was taken to the Tower to visit with the young king.

"I have brought you a visitor," Richard said and stood outside as Morgan entered the royal apartments.

"Edward?" Morgan exclaimed. "My goodness how you've grown!" He embraced the young boy.

"You've not seen me in some time, Lord Mayford," the young king chuckled. "Tell me, how is my lady mother?"

"She mourns your father deeply and wishes you well, Your Grace." He looked around, relieved that the duke was nowhere in sight. "Are you treated well. Tell me, please."

"I wish to see my mother, but Uncle Richard says I must stay here for my protection. I do not believe him. He arrested my uncle and Richard." The young eyes gazed deeply into his. "You see things. Mother sent word to me through my uncle that I must seek your council when I am crowned. Am I in danger, my lord?"

"Yes," Morgan whispered. "You cannot stay here, Your Grace. You must be crowned. Already people are taking sides, but your father's final wish was that your uncle advise you. Do what is best for England, Your Grace, not what others tell you for their own gain. England must come first. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Lord Mayford."

Morgan took the boy's hands in his. "God save the King."

Richard was waiting for him when he came out of the King's cell.

"You see. The boy is being well cared for."

"Why is he here ? Don't lie to me Richard. If you value our friendship, don't lie to me."

"What would you have me say, Morgan? I am doing all I can do to ensure a peaceful transition. Please, I do not want to lose our friendship over this matter."

"Nor do I but I will act as my conscience tells me to. I may only be a minor noble in this court, but this is my home now and I will serve it and its sovereign to the best of my ability," he said firmly and took his leave. When he went to the royal apartments in search of Elizabeth, he was stunned to learn that she and the children had gone into sanctuary at the abbey.

"Morgan, have you seen my son? Is he well?" Elizabeth asked frantically.

"He is well, lodged in the royal apartments." Morgan exhaled sharply. "God forgive me Elizabeth, but I fear you may be correct and the visions I've seen may be warning me of danger to the king!"

"Join us Morgan!" she pleaded. "You know what Richard is doing is wrong and you've seen the danger!"

"I'm going to try to get him to come to his senses but if I can't I will do all I can to get Edward out of that tower!"

The United Realms Studios Network

Spring, 2018

"Can we stop for a minute?" David sniffled, brushing tears from his eyes. Sidney Glass nodded at the cameramen and the cameras were turned off. The former queen reached across the table and took his hand in hers.

"Why's Daddy crying?" Devon asked.

"'Cause he's sad," Jasper answered.

"Mommy, he needs a hug," Elsa cried.

"Hug Daddy!" Aurora exclaimed and jumped out of her seat, her brothers and sisters at her heels, their youngest brother shifting into a toddler version of Sesame Street's Cookie Monster. They ran across the stage to the table where their father was sitting and held out their arms to him.

"Me hug Dada!" David Andrew Molk Jr, whom everyone called 'Baby Cookie' said, reaching up with his furred hands. The former Kings and Queens stared at the child in shock.

"What…what is that?" Margaret Beaufort demanded.

"My son," David sniffled and picked him up, cradling him against his chest while his older children huddled around him.

"Oh, I've met this little fellow before," Richard chuckled and ruffled his head.

"Is he purring like a cat?" Edward wanted to know.

"Yes."

"Quite a brood you have there," his wife laughed. "Do they all have your gift?"

"No. My gift passed to Rumple but his is stronger because he also inherited it from the Ozian god Aramon whom he's also descended from on his mother's side. However, all six of my kids do have magic. Their powers are tied to the element Earth. DJ is the only one who changes forms."

"You've been blessed in this second life," Elizabeth of York commented.

"Can we give you all hugs? You all look sad," Cami said to the other occupants of the table. Margaret Beaufort was stunned when Elsa climbed onto her lap and hugged her too. In some ways David's children reminded her of her Henry and all the years she'd missed with him.

"There! Now you don't look sad anymore," Elsa declared. "See we belong to this group where our job's to chase away unhappy faces. 'Frownies', our leader calls 'em."

"Okay guys, you gotta go back and sit with Mommy while we finish this."

"When they gonna talk 'bout you and Mommy?" Aurora inquired.

"In a little while. That's part of Belle's show. Miss Elizabeth and Edward will be there too."

David was referring to another show on the network that focused on the great romances of the realms. Belle wanted to do a segment on David and Beth along with his historical friends. He chuckled when he thought of how much drama would be in Henry VIII's segment. Archie and Az would have their own segment, DG and Wyatt would have theirs and Rumple's mother and stepfather would be featured in another one.

"Before we begin again, I must now call two additional witnesses," Rumple informed the audience.

Everyone was curious to see whom they would be.

"The Guardian of the West Gate summons thee

Edward and Richard Plantagenet, appear now before me!" he commanded.

Elizabeth Woodville, Elizabeth of York and Edward gasped in shock when two young boys appeared in chairs beside them.

"Edward! Richard!" their mother sobbed. Richard, originally the younger of the two was now older for he'd died later than his brother.

"Ladies and gentlemen, along with the testimony of Morgan, Earl Mayford, I will also present testimony from the one person who can finally answer the questions that have been asked for centuries. Were the Princes in the Tower murdered and who was responsible? Will you tell us your name again, please?" he asked the younger of the two.

"I am Edward Plantagenet, son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville and Edward V, rightful king of England in the year of our Lord fourteen hundred and eighty-three."

"And you?"

"I am Richard Plantagenet, son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, Duke of York and Earl of Shrewsbury but I assumed the name Perkin Warbeck when I was sent away from England for my protection."

"When was this, Your Grace?"

"In 1483, after our father's death. My brother Edward was already in the Tower and my mother feared Richard would come to take me too."

"Did he?"

The young man's eyes met those of his uncle. "He did but Mother stalled him claiming I was ill. She only had a short amount of time before he sent someone for me again, so she sought help from those she still trusted."

"Who were those people if you can recall?"

"My brother Thomas Grey, a few men I didn't know and the Earl of Mayford."

"Is this true, Lord Mayford?"

"It is," David replied. "I still feared for Edward's safety in the Tower and Richard did keep pushing back the date for Edward's coronation."

"Your Grace, why did you keep delaying the coronation?" Rumple demanded of the former king.

"I suspected the Queen's kin of plotting to murder me and take control of the king. I knew they could not move against me as long as I had the king in my custody."

"So you held Edward hostage," David growled.

"No! I had every intention on having him crowned King as he should've been."

David stood up and leaned over the table, a technique he often used in his years as a homicide inspector, invading the suspect's personal space in hopes that it would break them.

"You held a council meeting on June 13 where you accused the Queen and her family of plotting to kill you. You also accused William Hastings of being involved in the plot."

"William Hastings was one of your closest friends, was he not, Your Grace?" Rumple inquired of Edward IV. He nodded.

"They shared more than a friendship," Richard hissed. "Your mistress was involved with him and Dorset! She was carrying messages to them."

"He was doing what Edward would have wanted him to do, make certain that both parties acted in his son's best interests." David retorted. "But because you found out he and Thomas Gray had Elizabeth Lambert as their mistress, you assumed he was acting against you." David glared at the Duke of Buckingham. "It brought you another step closer to taking the throne for yourself. You already knew he stood in Richard's way so why not fill his ears with lies to get him to take Hastings out?"

"My husband was also charged," Margaret reminded him.

"Sly fox that he was, he got out of it," David countered. "Because you two had a bigger scheme up your sleeves. You were going to sit back and watch the House of York implode while you got your own son ready to swoop in from the back and pull off the biggest coup in history."

"Yay Daddy! Give 'em the Molkitude!" his oldest son cheered.

"Shhh!" Beth whispered.

"Back to you, Your Grace," Rumple said to young Richard. "You said you were smuggled out of England. Can you tell us how that happened?"

"My mother's plan was to find a boy that resembled me close enough not to arouse suspicion," Richard answered. "She told my brother Thomas of the plan and he was the one who brought in the Earl of Mayford…."

London

Summer 1483

Rough hands shook Morgan awake. He rolled over in his bed, stunned to find Thomas Grey standing over him.

"Get dressed. Quickly!" the older man instructed.

"What's going on?" the earl demanded.

"There's no time. We must go quickly before we're discovered."

Morgan threw on some clothes and the two men hurried out of the palace to the abbey where an anxious Elizabeth awaited them.

"Have you found a boy, Thomas?"

"He bears enough of a resemblance to Richard that everyone will think it's him. As for his voice, we can still say he's ill and will sound that way until he recovers."

"What's going on here?" Morgan asked.

"I've been asked to turn Richard over to his uncle so that he'll join Edward at his coronation. Why does he want both of my boys, Morgan?"

"I don't know but I don't like it. You intend to send a changeling in his place, don't you?"

"I have to! You and Thomas must get my boy away to a place of safety. Take him to Mayford."

Morgan shook his head. "I can't risk it. If Richard suspects my involvement it'll be the first place he'll look and that places my Jane in danger too. I don't know what's happening to him, but I see Buckingham's hand in it."

"Why?"

"I've never trusted him, and neither should you. How long before they return for Richard?"

"Buckingham told me he would come for him tomorrow."

"Then we don't have much time."

"Can you take him back to your world?"

Morgan shook his head. "I used a portal to open the gateway between this world and mine and I don't know of anything here that can open one again." He glanced down at the ring on his finger and took it off, holding it up. "I was given this ring by the fairy that helped me get to this world. She said it had some protection spells woven into it."

"I'll wake Richard and get him ready," Elizabeth murmured.

"We'll take him to Flanders. There's a man there I take him to," Thomas said. "Morgan, if that ring has protections in it, we'll need them to get my brother out safely."

They allowed Richard some time alone with his mother before their departure and once darkness fell the two men mounted their horses and began the long ride to Flanders. Once they reached a small cottage deep in the woods Thomas dismounted his horse and helped his younger brother down. "You will live here under the name Perkin Warbeck," Thomas informed him.

Morgan dismounted his own horse, removed his ring and handed it to the boy. "Richard, do not take this ring off under any circumstances. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

The two men embraced the boy. "With God's grace we'll see you again," Morgan murmured.

They had gotten one boy out of harm's way but there was still another in grave danger.

On June 16, the Duke of Buckingham and the Archbishop of Canterbury returned to the abbey as promised to collect young Richard and take him to the Tower to stay with his brother until the coronation. The coronation was set for June 22, but Elizabeth's fears were heightened once again when she heard some disturbing new information from Lady Margaret.

"She offered her services to Anne Neville and one day she found Anne sitting on the Queen's throne. Oh, she used the excuse that she was exhausted, but that girl's father was known as 'the Kingmaker'. And I've been told she didn't feel like being fitted for the coronation. Now why would she say that unless she knew it wasn't going to take place?"

Morgan was more disturbed by what happened to him that day when he attempted to see the boys in the Tower. He was quickly turned away by Robert Brackenbury, the custodian of the Tower and a man fiercely loyal to Richard.

"One of the boys is ill."

"Is he being tended to by a physician?" Morgan demanded.

"Yes, he is but the Lord Protector has given orders that the boys are to have no visitors until he recovers."

Furious, Morgan went in search of Richard but was told he was in council meetings and would not be able to see him.

"What is he planning?" Elizabeth moaned.

"I don't know but I don't like whatever it is. He needs to crown Edward and end this nonsense once and for all."

"Thankfully my Perkin is safe."

"I will try to see Edward again, Elizabeth."

Denied access to the boys, Morgan's terrifying visions occurred more frequently along with the cries of two terrified children pleading to be released. Now he knew for certain those voices belonged to Edward and the changeling she'd sent to the Tower in his place.

The United Realms Network Studios

Spring, 2018

"…The boy Mother sent in Richard's place was ill and it wasn't long before I caught it too," young Edward said softly. "We were being cared for by a physician and our uncle told us the coronation wouldn't be held until we were well again, but I was starting to think there wouldn't be a coronation."

"Why, Your Grace?"

"My uncle still had his doubts Mother's family would let him be Lord Protector until I came of age."

"I did," Richard confessed.

"This takes us closer to June 22, the date that was set for Edward's coronation," Rumple reminded the audience. "Yet the coronation still didn't take place and a sermon was held outside St Paul's Cathedral that explained why. Can you tell us what that reason was, Your Grace?"

"The Bishop of Bath and Wells informed me Edward and Elizabeth's marriage was invalid and their children were illegitimate," Richard announced. "I'd suspected it, but he confirmed it."

"And you told me years earlier you couldn't prove there was a precontract with Eleanor Butler!" David cried and slammed a document down on the table. "Declaring them illegitimate wasn't enough because everyone was outraged by this…this parchment of outright lies! And when that wasn't enough, you took a page out of George's book and tried to claim Lady Rivers and the Queen used witchcraft to get Edward to marry her!"

"She did!"

"I did not!" the former Queen hissed. "And you know I did not Richard."

"I was never precontracted to Eleanor," Edward insisted.

"You had the marriage ceremony held to bed her as you've done many times, Elizabeth included. You had bastards all over England."

"I'm not the only one who sired bastards, brother. Never forget that. You sired two, possibly three of your own."

"True but I cared for my children. You only cared for the ones Elizabeth bore you."

"The safest option we had was for Richard to name himself king," Anne spoke up.

"I knew the moment I saw you on the throne that you wanted it for yourself," Margaret spoke up.

"Because I knew Richard would not allow anyone to rule for him," Anne retorted.

"And on June 25, Lord Rivers and Richard Grey were executed at Pontefract Castle. William Hastings had already been executed and Elizabeth Lambert was made to walk the streets in her kirtle holding a taper before she was taken to Ludgate Prison. Now all that was left to do was claim the crown."

London

Summer 1483

Richard was stunned when he and Anne returned to their chambers for the evening and discovered that they had an uninvited guest.

"So, there is going to be a coronation, only Edward won't be the one wearing the crown. You will," Morgan said bitterly.

"I had no other choice Morgan. This realm needs stability and I can provide it. I will not harm my nephews, but I will not have them be used as weapons against me by their mother and her family. Remember the misfortune marrying one of them brought you!"

Morgan shook his head. "It will come to no good Richard. Mark my words. You know what I've seen. Heed my warnings."

"England will flourish under our rule," Anne spoke up. "Be our friend rather than our enemy, Morgan."

"You know how careful I always am Morgan. I will prove to you how good a king I can be," Richard added.

"I would like your permission to return to Mayford."

"I'm afraid I can't grant it. Not at this time."

"Why?"

"I want you here at court. I need you here at court. We will take you to Mayford when we go on our first progress as King and Queen."

The earl nodded.

July 6, 1483

"Papa, Papa, wake up! Wake up!" Jane pounced onto her father's bed and poked him in the back.

"Jane…poppet…." He pleaded sleepily.

"Wake up! We gotta go see the new king and queen!"

Morgan groaned and sat up, raking his hands through his hair. Today the first joint coronation in 175 years would take place as Richard, Duke of Gloucester and his wife Anne would be crowned King and Queen of England. He would not be taking part in the actual ceremony nor had he been asked to, but he was not surprised that the Duke of Buckingham would play such a pivotal role in the day's festivities. He rose, bathed and dressed and he and an excited Jane went to the abbey to await the arrival the King and Queen.

"There they are!"

"Hush, poppet!" the earl scolded gently.

"Why are they barefoot?"

"It is the tradition."

Richard walked into the abbey in a purple velvet gown, a beaming Duke of Buckingham carrying his train while Lady Margaret Beaufort carried Anne's.

As he watched the crowns being placed on the couples' heads Morgan's thoughts turned to the boy imprisoned in the Tower. Would he be released now that his uncle wore the crown, or would he remain in the Tower? Morgan feared the latter.

Later a feast was held in Westminster Hall. Morgan ate in silence, longing to return to Mayford where he and Jane could live in peace. He didn't care if he ever returned to court. That evening he began packing up their belongings.

"Are we going home now Papa?"

"We're going home, poppet."

"Why can't we live here with the King and Queen?"

"I thought you loved living at Mayford."

"I want to stay an play with Maggie, Teddy and Eddy."

"Poppet, Eddy will leave soon."

"Why?"

"He'll be a prince now and he will have to go to his own house. You'll have the other children to play with at Mayford."

"I wanna stay here!" She stomped her foot.

"Jane Whitmore you stop that pouting right now."

"I wanna stay!"

Suddenly a vase flew off the wall, nearly missing Morgan's head. Jane sat on the floor and wailed loudly, shattering the windows in his apartments.

"Jane, no, no stop!" he pleaded.

"Wanna stay."

"All right, all right poppet. We'll stay. Don't cry. Shhhh," he said and picked her up, holding her until she stopped crying, the windows repairing themselves.

My daughter has magic! How? he thought.

"I'm sorry!"

"It's all right."

He lay awake all night, his restlessness offering him no solutions to his questions.

"You will found a great and powerful bloodline Morgan Whitmore," he heard a woman's voice whisper and turned to see a tall, silvery blond haired woman standing beside his bed dressed in a silver gown.

"Who…who are you?"

"I am Ozmalita Diosa."

"The Ozian Keeper of Souls?"

"I am pleased to see that you've not abandoned the faith of your birth."

"This realm's faith and ours are not so different my lady. Why are you here?"

"Your daughter does have magic," the goddess confirmed.

"Yes, but how?"

"From you. You possess the rarest of magical gifts, the Eye of Aramon."

"You mean my sight? It's not perfect."

"Yet the child that will inherit its full power will be born into your bloodline. You, Morgan Whitmore, will be instrumental in creating the circle that restores the Balance between darkness and light in our realm."

"I'm just a Nonestican refugee in the House of York," he said modestly.

"You must send Jane back to our world to be trained as a Daughter of Light when the time is right."

"How do I get her there? I need a portal."

The goddess gestured and a gold coin with the symbol of a funnel cloud appeared in his hand.

"Toss the coin in an open field, step inside and command the winds to take you home," she instructed. "Some of the things you see you will not be able to prevent. That is the burden of the Eye."

"Then take it away!"

"I can't."

He eyed her skeptically. "You're a goddess. You can. You just won't."

"No, I won't. Because you were meant to have this gift as you were meant to have many of the skills you've learned in this land. They will be needed."

"Why?"

"Someday you'll know the answer. You must rest."

"I can't sleep. My dreams are of death and destruction!" he moaned.

The goddess tossed a handful of gold dust onto him.

"The sands of Morpheus will send you into peaceful slumber," she murmured. Moments later he was asleep. She watched him for a few minutes before she vanished in a puff of smoke.

He said nothing to Richard and Anne when they returned to his apartments prior to their departure. By morning Jane had changed her mind and wanted to go back to Mayford much to her father's relief.

"Morgan, forgive me but perhaps it is time you considered another marriage or to take a mistress. Jane needs a mother."

"Richard," he groaned.

"Your time of mourning has long passed old friend."

"I know it has but I will not make the same mistake again! Will you allow me to see the princes before we leave?"

"We will visit them together."

Morgan was hoping to have some time alone with the boys, to reassure them that all was being done to secure their release.

"Richard, why not let them go? You have the crown now. There's no need to keep them."

"No one will act against me as long as I have them."

"They're innocent children!"

"But to the Woodvilles and their supporters they're power. I know Elizabeth. She will continue her plotting until she gets her son on the throne and will rule through him. The Rivers fortunes have run dry and now it's time they were divested of their ill- gotten gains. Let's not discuss this again."

Morgan returned to the abbey before the royal entourage was to depart from London.

"Elizabeth, I have tried everything I can to convince Richard to release the boys, but he is convinced that you will continue to act against him."

"And I will! My son is the true King of England and I will not stop until his good name…until all my childrens' good names are restored. Are you suggesting that I surrender?"

"No, I am saying that we must get the boys out of the Tower and to safety before you try to act against Richard again."

"I have taken Lady Margaret into my confidence."

"Margaret Beaufort?"

"And the Duke of Buckingham."

"Buckingham! Are you mad?"

"You don't trust him?"

"No. He's always been arrogant and I've no doubt he would take the throne for himself. Margaret Beaufort I can understand. She wants her son Henry Tudor back in England."

"She has written to me proposing that my Elizabeth be betrothed to her Henry to unite the Houses of Lancaster and York."

"She's no longer betrothed to the Dauphin, but they would need a papal dispensation, won't they?"

"Yes. I trust Lady Margaret will write to the Pope for it but we will rescue the boys from the Tower while Richard is away."

He took her hands in his. "Pray they succeed!"

Mayford

Summer, 1483

The new King and Queen were given a warm reception at Mayford upon their arrival. Morgan was pleased that his people were faring well during his many absences. The King was optimistic that he would be well received everywhere he went now that the Woodvilles had been removed from power and once again a Son of York sat on the throne of England. The King seemed more relaxed away from court and he and the queen spent several days at Mayford with Morgan and Jane before they moved on to the next town. They wrote back to Morgan that they were being well received in many of the places they'd visited, and their son Edward had been invested as Prince of Wales in York, further diminishing any claims Elizabeth's sons held to the crown.

Fall, 1483

"My lord…a letter for you!" Thomas informed his master one morning. Recognizing the dowager queen's seal, he broke it open and retreated to his study to read the contents in private.

Morgan,

Our attempt to rescue the boys has failed as someone has betrayed us and given notice to the guards of our attack. Edward has also been moved and no one has seen him. Now I hear rumors that he may be dead, murdered on Richard's orders while he was away. Now we pledge our support for Margaret Beaufort's son, Henry Tudor as the marriage between him and my Elizabeth will end this bitter conflict and unite England. I ask you now to join us and avenge my son. I await your reply. Burn this.

Morgan threw the letter into the fire and buried his face in his hands. They'd failed and now they would face the executioner's axe.

"Papa, what's wrong?"

"My lord?"

"Mary, fetch Thomas," the earl murmured.

Jane hopped onto Morgan's lap. "Don't cry, Papa. I'll make it better."

She kissed his cheek.

"Ah poppet you always do know how to make me feel better. Thomas, we must return to court."

"Yes, my lord."

He'd done all he could to help Elizabeth's child. Now he had to protect his own by throwing himself on the king's mercy.

London

Fall, 1483

"Morgan Whitmore, Earl of Mayford!"

Morgan fought back nausea as he entered the throne room. Richard sat upon his throne, emotionless. Finally, Richard glanced over at the spectators.

"Leave us!" he commanded sharply. Once they were alone, Morgan bowed, his legs trembling.

"Your Grace…"

"Had I murdered the boys I would have had them displayed publicly as my brother did with King Henry VI to demonstrate that his line had ended. I know of your involvement in the rescue attempt and I pardon you. Tell me, is Richard safe?"

"Have you spoken to his mother?"

"I have and I have assured her that I am not responsible. I searched every inch of that tower and not a trace of them! Buckingham and Margaret Beaufort have been plotting against me."

"One of them arranged the murders, Your Grace. Both have their own claims to the crown. Buckingham in his own right, Margaret through her son."

"Is Richard safe?" the king asked again. "Morgan, please tell me! I won't harm him. Just tell me he is safe. Why would I? My nephew Teddy and niece have a claim to the throne, yet they are safe."

"You never should've taken them in the first place!" Morgan shouted. "What did you think would happen? That everyone would accept it? They didn't and now your enemies are gathering. They'll come after you with everything they got Richard so if you want to keep the crown you'd better damn well prepare yourself."

"I must sever Elizabeth's alliance with Buckingham and Tudor."

"Then sever it! Find out which one of them killed the boys!"

The king smiled. "Have you had any dealings with Lady Margaret, Morgan?"

"Are you suggesting that I…?"

"If Lady Margaret believes you are part of the conspiracy, she may let something slip about the boy. I will allow Elizabeth's girls to come out of sanctuary, but their mother will go back to Grafton."

"You know Henry Tudor is now betrothed to the eldest daughter and the only reason why is try to strengthen his claim to the throne."

"I will pass an act in Parliament barring her claim to the throne based on the invalidity of her parents' marriage."

"And you still think Elizabeth will be satisfied letting you proclaim her children bastards? I think not."

The King didn't mention that this act he planned to pass would also resurrect the claims of witchcraft against the dowager queen and her late mother and that he would also question his own brothers' legitimacy. Edward's parentage had been called into question before and it would be again as would his entire reign. Richard planned to argue that he'd been heavily influenced by the Woodvilles, an easier claim to prove than the paternity issues.

"But those are not the most important issues I would like to address during my reign. I will create a court for people who cannot afford council to have their requests heard."

"An excellent idea."

"I will also amend the bail system. People suspected of crimes will not be imprisoned prior to trial nor can their goods or properties be seized. There will be no restrictions on the printing and selling of books and there will be stricter laws on the buying and selling of land. I will also be addressing trade issues."

"You would have made some of these suggestions to Edward as Lord Protector, wouldn't you?"

Richard nodded. "Now I must enact them myself and the Laws and Statues will be rewritten in English."

"These things will improve your reputation Richard and so will proving your innocence in the deaths of the boys."

"Will you help me Morgan?"

"By acting as your spy?"

"Yes. I do not expect an answer now. You may have a few days to think it over."

"Richard, I have to think of Jane. I'm all she has and if something happens to me…"

"She will live at court with Anne and me and we will make a good match for her when she is old enough, but your lands and titles will pass to her and her children not a husband. In the meantime, I will deal with this rebellion."

The United Realms Network Studios

Spring, 2018

"So you groveled to Richard like the dog you were while I went to the block!" Buckingham sneered.

"I only wanted those boys rescued! You killed them!"

"I did not! It was Lady Margaret that gave the order for them to be killed so she could get her son on the throne!"

"I wanted my son on the throne, but I did not order the deaths of those children," Margaret cried.

"Well let's find out by asking the witness."

Everyone was on the edge of their seats eager to hear what the boy would say.

"Edward, the people in this room have testified that an attempt was made to rescue you. Is this correct?"

"Yes, but the Constable of the Tower, Sir Robert Brackenbury was warned of the attack by Lord Stanley's son and I and the changeling my mother sent to the tower in Richard's place were moved to another part of the Tower."

"Did you die of natural causes or were you murdered?"

"I was murdered."

"When were you murdered?"

"I cannot remember the exact date, but it was not done at the Tower."

"So, you're saying you were taken out of the Tower and killed elsewhere?"

"Yes."

"Who killed you?"

The former prince's eyes met those of the Duke of Buckingham. "I and the changeling were murdered by Sir James Tyrell on the orders of the Duke of Buckingham so that my uncle would be suspected."

"You lie!" Buckingham raged.

"I do not, and you know I do not. You had Sir James and two others smother us in our beds and bury our bodies back in the Tower where they were discovered centuries later."

"You are referring to the two sets of human remains unearthed in the 1600s that were believed to be your remains and those of your brother?"

"I am."

"They have not been tested to prove they are your remains."

"There's no need for them to be tested. They are," the boy insisted.

"James Tyrell confessed to the murders under torture," Henry VII added. "And I did not proclaim them dead until I was certain that they were…well that one of them was. I conducted my own investigation."

"Why are there no records of it?"

"I burned them because my mother had also been named as a suspect. I did not want anyone blaming her."

"Sir John named Richard as the mastermind of the plot."

"And I believed him unfortunately," Henry confessed. "My wife did not. She suspected my mother but when Perkin returned, she warned me of the curse she and her mother cast against the murderers of the boys."

"The curse did its work. We were all responsible," Richard said sadly. "I imprisoned the boys in the Tower. Margaret thwarted the rescue attempt that would have ensured Edward's safety and Buckingham gave the order for his death. Henry, you ordered the execution of Richard. The curse targeted our sons. My Edward died; my son John was executed. Buckingham's son was executed for treason and Henry you lost your Arthur."

"None of my sons lived to adulthood," Henry VIII wept softly.

"Thank you, Edward. It is my hope that you rest now."

"I will not be able to rest until the world knows the truth."

"Someday it will, lad. Someday it will."

"I will stay and hear the rest of the story if it is alright with you."

"You can stay as long as you'd like, lad."

"Thank you."

"The Duke of Buckingham was executed for treason in November of 1483, strongly suggesting that Edward may have been murdered during that time but many historians argue they were alive as late as 1484 based on some instructions Richard had given for his household that the children should be together at one breakfast."

"That order was issued for our son and his cousins," Anne clarified. "At that time Elizabeth's children were out of sanctuary and two of them were living in Sheriff Hutton. I can see how it would be misinterpreted to mean the boys in the Tower, but it was not. Richard and I already feared they were dead."

"I did not survive my father very long," Edward added.

"And now that I knew whom my enemies were, I was ready to act. So, I sent one of my closest friends into the dragon's den so to speak."

"Richard had given me one week to consider his offer," David put in. "I never realized until I regained my memories of this life that this mission I took in the winter of 1483 was my first undercover role."

"And one you did well, old friend."

"I tried," David said modestly. "We both made the mistake of underestimating a mother's love for her son."

"On the field at Bosworth one dynasty would end and a new one would begin," Rumple narrated.

"And cut!" Sidney announced. The Duke of Buckingham vanished leaving only the Tudors and Plantagenets in the room.

"Are you going to tell them about the haunting?" Edward IV inquired.

David burst into laughter. "You bet I am, but later."

"You can all take five, dearies."

"Take five?" Margaret stared at Rumple in confusion.

"He means take a rest, Mother."

"Oh…then I will go to the chapel. Do you have one here?"

"We have a convent and a chapel. I'll take you," David offered. "Henry?"

"Richard and I have a prior engagement at Mayford."

"You better not mess up my house again or I'll have you banned from it!"

"You don't even live there anymore!"

"No but my descendants do, and I warned you before about having your battles in there. You want to fight, do it outside! The grounds are large enough!"

"And this time I'll win!" Richard growled. "You won't have Stanley to back you now! Anyone else interested in joining our reenactment of Bosworth?"

"I'm going to take my grandson's money," Edward IV grinned.

"You're lucky I don't have my fourth wife summoned. That woman is a card shark!" Henry VIII exclaimed.

"The more the merrier."

"Wait till he finds out Rumple is summoning his wives for the next part of the segment," Anne whispered to Elizabeth Woodville. The former queen burst into laughter.

"Now that is going to be awkward!"

"They seem to be enjoying themselves," Beth whispered to her husband while the spirits went their separate ways.

"I missed them. They were my friends even if they were on opposing sides. Richard and Henry's reenactment of Bosworth now is mild compared to what it was really like."

"I know its going to be hard for you to talk about that."

"But I have to. I want people to see the battle as I saw it. Loyalty bound me to that field and loyalty bound me to survive it."

"But it also helped make you the man you are now…my white knight in blue."

He leaned over and kissed her softly.

"I'll always be your knight in blue, Sleeping Beauty."

But that was another story waiting to be told.


	5. A New Dynasty

As with the previous chapter, I have decided to eliminate certain elements of The White Princess since there is little or no historical fact to support them: for example Henry forcing Elizabeth to conceive Arthur prior to the wedding and Henry VII being portrayed as a weak king ruled by his mother. My version of Henry will be based more on James Maxwell's interpretation from The Shadow of the Tower and will include some of his original dialogue.

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

Transported from England to the United Realms through magic, David's manor house and its extensive grounds remained intact, the house restored to its former glory with loving care by Rumple's cousin Zelena Sabitini and his son Baelfire, both well-known interior designers. The house had been abandoned for centuries, many of the Mayford descendants terrified of encountering the ghosts that were said to wander the grounds. There were ghosts at Mayford but they were not the ghosts of its former master and his secret bride, instead they were of his old friends, waiting patiently for his return in his new life.

Sidney Glass and his crew began setting up their equipment on the grounds while those who would participating in the reenactment of the Wars of the Roses most famous battle got into costume. Richard and Henry VII were pleased to see so many of the United Realm's residents eager to participate, most of them former soldiers. They would be shooting the segment later that day.

"This is a historian's dream come true," remarked Penelope Bordreaux, wife of Storybrooke Four's Maurice. She was a history professor in Greece that Maurice met while his family was on vacation there years ago. She planned to write her own book on the Wars of the Roses in collaboration with Storybrooke Two's Belle and now that she had the actual participants on hand, any claims she made in her work would be difficult to dispute.

"I'm going to hate seeing what they did to my poor Richard after the battle," Anne Neville confessed. "Do they really have to show it?"

"Briefly but yes, they are going to show it."

"Barbaric," Edward IV muttered. "Worse than what was done to Father."

"Would you mind if I asked you some questions about that?" Storybrooke Two's Belle inquired while she held little Gideon on her lap.

"I won't mind…if you let me hold your boy."

"A fair trade," she said with a smile and handed Gideon to him, amusing himself by trying to play with Edward's beard while he recounted his father's humiliating and tragic end.

Margaret Beaufort entered the tent where the cast that was playing her husband, stepson and brother-in-law had just finished dressing.

"You and your brother will be fighting on opposing sides today as my husband and brother in-law did," Margaret addressed David's brother now in costume as William Stanley. Archie from Storybrooke Two would portray Thomas Stanley, making his appearance at the end of the battle.

"Yes, but I don't crown him. Archie will."

"My wife and I enjoyed Shadow of the Tower so I will be using those lines when I crown Henry. Now, correct me if I'm wrong but you weren't at the battlefield that day, were you?"

"No but I was anxiously waiting for word. I didn't know whether Thomas would keep his promise and fight for Henry." She smiled. "But I knew in my heart that my son would become King of England. It was a bloody, brutal day but we are paying tribute to those who died in service to their Kings."

"I'm gonna go see if Father's ready," Jeb Cain said and excused himself. He was portraying Thomas Stanley's son Lord Strange.

Over in Richard's tent David and the former King stood back and smiled when David's father-in-law finished putting on his armor.

"It's just like old times, isn't it, Phillip?"

"Yes, except you were a cricket during our little skirmishes."

"How did you fight if you were a cricket?" Richard asked.

"Oh, he managed it believe me, but he saw more action fighting with my father because he was human then."

"Archie got Geppetto, Pinocchio and Az as his charges and what did I get…the biggest royal hell raisers in all the realms!"

Phillip laughed. "You married the youngest one!"

"Beth is mild compared to you and Hubert!"

"Are you talking about me again?" Beth teased when she entered the tent and wrapped her arms around her husband's waist. "My sexy blue knight."

"Oh, save it for later!" Phillip groaned and hurried out of the tent.

"I think we just shocked your father," David chuckled.

They heard laughter behind them. "What is it you say nowadays? Get a room!"

"It's good to hear you laugh Richard. This next segment is going to be difficult for you."

"It never gets any easier but I'm grateful that the truth can finally be told. We should get outside. The crew's set up and it looks like they're ready to start filming."

Lawn chairs were set up on the grounds for everyone to sit in during the pre-battle interviews. Once the battle started the children would be taken to another tent for games. As soon as the cameras started rolling Rumple stepped back into his role as prosecutor.

"We now come to 1484, the first full year of Richard III's reign. The princes are missing and now we know that one of them has been murdered in the Tower on the orders of the Duke of Buckingham. Richard III still stands accused of the crimes and a highly controversial document has been passed through Parliament. Can you tell us what that document is, Your Grace?"

"The Titulus Regius. It was the official law that proclaimed Elizabeth and Edward's children illegitimate and proclaiming me the rightful King of England but I knew support for Tudor was growing especially after he'd made the announcement that he would marry my niece once he was crowned king."

"But it wasn't that simple. Elizabeth and I are cousins and a papal dispensation was needed," Henry spoke up. "I would only marry her when I received it. There have been claims made that I delayed the wedding to make it appear I claimed the crown through my own efforts. I DID claim the crown by right of conquest."

"I knew Tudor was a threat, so I took steps to try to get him out of Brittany and into my custody."

"I'd been warned Richard was after me, so I disguised myself as a page and rode the hell out of there for Paris. The French king was willing to offer me his support, so he offered me money and mercenaries. I was grateful for all the help I could get."

"Lord Mayford, before the break you mentioned that Richard wanted you to spy on Margaret Beaufort."

"He did. Her husband, Lord Stanley was effectively her jailer, but I had my doubts about his loyalty given his history and getting Margaret to take me into her confidence wasn't going to be easy. I had planned to talk to her before I returned to court but Jane wanted to go to Middleham to see Edward first…"

Middleham Castle

Spring, 1484

Morgan stood outside the bedchamber, Jane sobbing into his shoulder while silent tears streamed down his own cheeks. Edward, the newly crowned Prince of Wales was dead.

"Eddy's gone to be with the Lord," she wailed.

"I know poppet, I know…" Morgan croaked. He set her on her feet and walked into the bedroom. "I will ride to Nottingham Castle and deliver the news to Their Graces myself," he informed the prince's nurse. "I will leave Jane in your care until I return."

"Yes, my lord," she murmured.

Thomas brought the horses around when Morgan came out of the castle.

"A dark day for England my lord."

"And for Their Graces," Morgan mumbled when he mounted his horse. The ride to Nottingham Castle was a somber one for the Earl and his squire. Morgan thought of Jane and the anguish he would feel if anything ever happened to his precious child. It was a loss he knew he couldn't bear, and his heart ached for his dearest friend.

He and Thomas arrived at the castle late in the evening after the couple retired. The servants roused the King and Queen from their bed and brought them to Richard's study.

"Morgan! Is there another rebellion?" Richard demanded.

Morgan removed his hat and lowered his head. "Richard, Your Grace….I regret to inform you that your son, the Prince of Wales has passed into God's hands…."

"NOOOOO!" Anne screamed, sinking to her knees. "My baby!"

"Tell me this is jest…Morgan, please…TELL ME THIS IS A JEST!" Richard shouted.

Morgan shook his head, brushing tears from his eyes.

"My boy!" Richard moaned and burst into tears. He ran over to the wall and began to pound on it with his fists while Morgan took the distraught Anne into his arms and held her.

"I'm sorry Your Grace. I am so sorry," he sobbed. There was little else he could say to comfort them.

"It was HER! HER AND HER DAMNED CURSES!"

"Anne, please…" Richard pleaded, reaching for her.

"She cursed us because she thinks you killed her boys!"

"I didn't….I didn't…"

Anne tore herself from Morgan's embrace and fled still screaming. Richard collapsed in his chair crying.

"Thomas, stay with him. I'll go to the Queen," Morgan instructed. He found her on the bed in their chamber staring up the ceiling, her eyes filled with tears. He sat on the edge of the bed.

"We'll never have another," she sniffled. "We tried but I've never been able to have another child. She cursed me; I know she did…just as she cursed Isabel. She told us she hoped we'd all be as fertile as our mothers, but it was a curse! She despised us because of what our father did to hers!"

"Your Grace….Anne…"

"Don't let her fool you Morgan. She would curse you too if she thought you betrayed her. My Edward…my poor baby…" She flipped over and screamed again, pummeling the pillows.

"I will be with her now," Richard said when he walked into the room, his hands bruised and bleeding. "You are welcome to stay the night…we will leave for Middleham in the morning."

He could still hear them sobbing when he and Thomas sought their beds for the night.

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

"…There is no greater pain for a parent than the loss of a child," Richard was saying.

"Edward was the light in our lives," Anne added. "We were lost without him and knew we would never be able have another child. We'd tried for years."

"It leaves a hole in your heart that can never be filled," Henry VII spoke up. His wife nodded in agreement, reflecting on their own losses as did Elizabeth's parents.

"Richard and Anne became shells of their former selves and it pained me to see it," David sighed.

"I felt this was our moment. Richard no longer had an heir and Elizabeth's betrothal to Henry remained intact. All that needed to be done was to get him here," Margaret spoke up.

"Richard and Anne were grieving the loss of their son but there were also other issues arising at court that threatened the stability of his reign."

"You're speaking of the rumors that he and his niece were lovers, aren't you Lord Mayford?" Rumple clarified.

Richard nodded. "I have always had the deepest affection for Edward's children, especially the girls but Elizabeth and I were never lovers. I would never shame Anne in such a manner but there were many at court that misinterpreted things they were seeing and running to join Tudor because of it. I needed eyes and ears in their camp and the rumors gave me the perfect opportunity to plant the only person I could trust in there."

"I never really gave him an answer to his proposal that I become his spy before Edward's death, and he didn't mention it for a while because he was still in mourning. I did notice a distance growing between him and Anne that disturbed me."

Anne made a face. "I've been told that some fiction authors have made that claim that I encouraged Elizabeth and Richard to become lovers. Why would I? I still believed her family laid a curse on me and mine, but I had to admit she'd become a great comfort to me after losing my Edward."

"That was all I wanted to be to them…a comfort," Elizabeth said. "I no longer cared that my claim to the throne had been stolen from me and I'd grown tired of my mother's relentless ambitions, wanting a simpler life but she would hear none of it." Elizabeth scowled at her mother.

"You must make difficult choices to secure your hold on the throne. Every king on the field today knows this to be true. These choices you make will either endure you to the people or alienate them. I risked both to hold England…" Richard murmured.

London

Winter, 1484

Jane crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her father.

"But I wanna go see Uncle Richard, Auntie Anne and Mistress 'Lizabeth!" she protested.

"You'll be bored to tears, poppet. This gathering is for the grownups. Auntie Anne and Uncle Richard will have a special one for the children tomorrow. You'll get to play with all your friends and have a better time if you listen to Papa and go to bed."

He tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, poppet."

"G'night Papa." She murmured.

He was surprised to find Elizabeth waiting for him outside Jane's door.

"Your Highness!"

"Will you escort me to the hall, Lord Mayford?" she asked softly.

"I would be honored," he said with a smile and took her hand in his.

"The Lady Elizabeth and Earl of Mayford!"

Morgan heard people gasp in shock when they entered the ballroom, puzzled when he'd escorted the princess many times before. As he approached the king and queen, he suddenly realized what the matter was. The Queen and Elizabeth were wearing matching gowns! Elizabeth curtseyed and Morgan bowed.

"Welcome Lord Mayford, Lady Elizabeth," Richard greeted. "Doesn't Elizabeth look fetching, Anne?"

"She does," the Queen mumbled.

Richard held out his hand to his niece. "May I have this dance, Lady Elizabeth?"

"Yes…Your Grace," Elizabeth replied nervously and allowed him to escort her into the center of the ballroom while many of the nobles looked on in disapproval.

"What the hell is he doing?" Morgan hissed when Richard lifted a giggling Elizabeth into the air and set her on her feet, his eyes meeting hers. "He is behaving as if…as if….they are…"

"I have been unwell, and Elizabeth has been a great comfort to us." Anne laid her hand on Morgan's arm.

"Has he cuckolded you with his own niece?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"They spend many hours together."

Doing what? Morgan thought angrily. Damn you Richard!

"And you…approve of this Your Grace?"

"He is the King and must do what he will. I am not well, and he needs an heir to the throne."

"Your Grace! You cannot be suggesting that he sire one on her! You are Queen of England and I will not have you shamed this way. I will speak with him!"

"Morgan, please…."

"I will speak with him and hope to put a stop to this insanity! Your Grace, you must sit down and rest." He took the Queen's hand and led her over to her chair as the dance ended. Richard returned to the table laughing.

"She is a wonderful dancer, isn't she Anne?" The Queen simply nodded.

"I will speak with you," Morgan informed him coolly.

"I believe it is your turn to dance with Elizabeth, Lord Mayford."

"I am in no mood for dancing. I will speak with you…now!"

"You dare give orders to your King!"

"I do! We will speak privately, or we will speak here! The choice is yours, Your Grace!"

"Then we will speak privately. Come!" the king commanded. He led him down the hall to the council chambers and slammed the door behind him. "I will not have a minor noble that I helped elevate commanding me in front of my subjects. You should consider yourself grateful I don't strip you of your lands and titles here and now!"

"I would rather go back to my own realm and live a simple life than stay in this den of debauchery and sin!" Morgan retorted.

"Then go!"

"Not until I've said what I need to. How dare you shame the Queen in this manner? Is it your intention to set her aside and bed your niece to secure your throne?"

"Her mother planned to marry her to Tudor to unite Lancaster and York. Never while there is still breath in my body! I am King of England and I will be King of England until my death!"

"Not if you take your niece to your bed…or have you already?"

"That is none of your concern."

"So be it." Morgan glared at him. "Do what you will, Your Grace, but mark my words, the dragon will come, and the white rose will wither and die as the sun hides behind the moon!"

"Are you threatening me?"

"I am only telling you what I have seen. Your fate is in your own hands now. Farewell, Your Grace, for you are a stranger to me now." Morgan spun on his heel and left the room. Jane's nurse was still awake when he returned to his chambers. "Pack our things. We are leaving court."

"Now, my lord."

"Now."

"We are returning to Mayford then?" Thomas asked him.

"No. I will inform you of our destination along the way."

The bitter argument between the King and the Earl of Mayford and the Earl's departure from court immediately after was the main topic of discussion at many a table the next morning. Though his wife remained under house arrest, Thomas, Lord Stanley knew his wife would enjoy hearing this round of gossip. Once the news of Richard's intentions toward Elizabeth reached her ears, she began writing fervently to the dowager Queen demanding an explanation. The former queen was as shocked by the news as Lady Beaufort yet denied that her daughter would welcome such an unnatural suit.

"You have a visitor Lady Margaret," her steward informed her.

Margaret looked up, her lips curving into a small smile when she saw the Earl of Mayford standing before her.

"Leave us. Lord Mayford, what brings you here?" she asked once he was out of earshot.

"Your son. Are you still in contact with him?"

"I am forbidden to contact my son. I am under house arrest as you know."

"I will speak plainly, Lady Margaret. The usurper's court has become a den of sin and debauchery that I no longer wish to be a part of. I will pledge my fealty to your son IF he honors his betrothal agreement to Princess Elizabeth AND I retain my lands and titles. I bring few men with me, but they are loyal."

"I take it you have heard the rumors Richard intends to put Anne aside and wed his niece?"

"They are more than mere rumors Lady Margaret. I have witnessed his sinful behavior firsthand."

"And you expect my son to wed the princess once he's bedded her?"

"I don't believe he has, but he will if we do not act quickly."

"How can I be certain you are not here to spy for Richard?"

"Ask your husband. He's witnessed my displeasure with the king. Mayford is my daughter's inheritance and I will do what is necessary to secure it." He leaned forward, his eyes meeting hers. "I will do what I must for my daughter as you will for your son."

Margaret smiled. "Then we understand each other, Lord Mayford. I will secure your daughter's inheritance as you will help me secure my son's."

He knelt, raised her hand to his lips and kissed it.

Richard stood in the doorway of Morgan's now vacant lodgings, smiling. He heard a cough behind him and turned to find his wife standing beside him. She was exhausted and in need of rest. He looked around and closed the door behind them.

"I've been told Morgan packed up and left after our quarrel. He will have reached his destination by now."

"Then our plan is working?" she asked hopefully.

"I've sent Brackenbury to be certain."

"We must act quickly Richard. My time to join our son comes soon."

"Do not say it!" he cried.

"You know it to be true. And when I am gone you must marry another who can secure your throne with a living heir. Then Elizabeth will have the life away from court she desires."

"I have been communicating with Portugal. Oh Anne, it pains me to speak of a new marriage while you live!"

"England must come first Richard. You forget I am the Kingmaker's daughter. It was his desire that one of his daughters sit upon the throne and I have done so. Now we must ready my successor."

"Elizabeth will continue to play her part. She has written to her mother telling her that she is resisting my advances for fear that Tudor will break the betrothal. For her part, her mother is denying I've bedded her to Lady Margaret." He took the queen's hands in his. "This will work, Anne."

"If Morgan plays his part."

"He will."

Two days later, Richard's men rode into Mayford, their orders to arrest the earl but when they arrived, they found the manor deserted and those questioned knew nothing of his whereabouts.

"Only a few servants remain at the manor Your Grace and they've been questioned. They believed the earl was still at court," Brackenbury reported.

"He may have already gone to Tudor in Brittany!" Anne exclaimed. "Sir Robert, if we cannot intercept him…he will stand with Tudor against us!"

"Your Grace, you want the earl made aware of our plans?" Brackenbury inquired.

"Morgan Whitmore is my dearest friend and I will not have him turn to Tudor. We need him to draw Tudor in," Richard informed him. "Send your men ahead. He has either gone to Elizabeth Woodville or Lady Margaret. I want him brought to me alive and unharmed. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Your Grace."

Jane safely housed with Lady Margaret, Morgan and Thomas rode for Grafton, the residence of the dowager Queen. It had been months since he'd seen her, but he felt she needed to know the danger her daughter now faced in the King's court, the shame of being in an incestuous relationship with her uncle.

"Lizzie has assured me did not lie with her uncle," the former queen said once Morgan informed her of the purpose of his visit.

"She may not be given a choice in the matter, Elizabeth. We must act quickly. She must leave court and come here or to Lady Margaret until Henry Tudor is on the throne. I have pledged my support and those of my men to Tudor's and I will join them once he arrives."

"Morgan, I do not know whether to trust Lady Margaret. She may have had my sons killed."

"Perkin is still in Flanders," he reminded her. "Thomas has already joined Tudor in Brittany. I now believe it was Richard who had your son murdered. Believing both boys dead and attempting to seduce your daughter into his bed is how he intends to hold the throne, but we will take it back from him!"

"My Richard is the rightful King of England!" Elizabeth snarled. "If Tudor defeats Richard we will have him rule as regent until my son can take the throne himself!"

"Lady Margaret will never agree to that. She wants Henry king in his own right."

"She believes my Richard is dead and she must continue to until the time is right for him to return. And you, Morgan Whitmore, will have any place you desire once he is restored."

"My lady all I desire is to secure my daughter's lands and titles."

"What if she were to trade them for a crown?"

"You are not suggesting…?"

"I am. Help me restore my son and we will make your daughter Queen of England," Elizabeth proposed.

"I appreciate the offer Elizabeth, but my daughter cannot become Queen. I must take her back to my realm at some point." He froze.

"Morgan, what is it?"

"The darkest of curses by a Strogoff will be taken and through his sacrifice in the names of those he loves, his curse and all those created with it will be broken. Through my blood the Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov shall unite, the Balance restored by love's brightest light."

He blinked several times. "I am sorry, Elizabeth."

"No need to be. You've seen what the future holds for you Morgan and it is uniting the warring houses in your land and perhaps there you will find the love you seek."

"I dare not hope for it," he sighed. Many nights he found himself gazing longingly at the empty space in his bed wondering if it would ever be filled by a woman who loved him and no other.

"But you must promise me you will return one day. With God's grace my son will be King of England then."

"We must be patient, Elizabeth. His time will come."

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

"It was a dangerous game we were playing but we were determined to outwit each other," Margaret was saying, "using Morgan as our pawn. I knew he remained loyal to Elizabeth so he could convince her to bring more of York to my son's side."

"I needed to know if Margaret suspected my son was alive and Morgan was the only person, I trusted to get that information for me," Elizabeth added. "Little did I know Richard was playing us and planned to use Morgan to lure Henry Tudor into a trap."

"My superiors at the SFPD were shocked by how well I adapted to being undercover. Some cops get lost in the role and go rogue, but I was never like that. I knew when it was time to come out because I learned it in my first life as Morgan," David said. "Either way I risked losing my head and Jane's inheritance, so I had to tread carefully."

"My mother sent word to me and my uncle Jasper that Morgan was ready to join us and I gave my word that he would keep his lands and title if he followed through but Morgan wasn't the person whose loyalty we needed to be certain of, it was my stepfather's." Henry added. "Still Morgan's actions were part of what inspired me to create my own spy network when I became king."

England

Winter, 1485

Morgan froze with fear as Robert Brackenbury and a small company of soldiers approached them, surrounding their horses.

"Take the Earl of Mayford into custody," he instructed.

Morgan dismounted his horse, gripping his sword tightly. "You'll have to kill me first!" he hissed.

"We'd rather it not come to that. His Grace wants you alive."

"My lord…"

"Stay where you are, Thomas."

Two of the soldiers jumped off their horses and seized Morgan by the arms, his sword falling to the ground. They bound his arms and feet with rope and slung him over the back of a horse.

"I'll hardly make it to London alive riding like this," Morgan laughed harshly.

"We could make you walk the way, traitor!" one of the soldiers growled and spat in his face.

"Your usurper king is the traitor, gentlemen."

"Gag and blind him," Brackenbury commanded. He was yanked off the horse, one cloth tied around his forehead, another around his mouth and tossed onto the back of a cart, his head and back aching each time the cart struck something along the road, hurling curses at them through the gag while he struggled to release himself from his binds as best he could without seeing them. He'd fallen asleep exhausted from his efforts and was awakened when he felt himself being dragged off the cart and set up in a chair. A soldier removed the cloth from his eyes, and he gasped when Richard now stood before him.

"Did you think you could get away from me that easily, Lord Mayford," the King demanded. "You are lucky you're not kneeling on the block. Remove the gag and leave us," he commanded his men.

"You're lucky I don't run you through, whoreson!" Morgan cursed once his mouth was free from the gag.

Richard threw back his head and laughed.

"What is so amusing?"

"You!"

Morgan glared at him. "Untie me and we'll see who has the last laugh, Your Grace!"

"Oh, you think you can best me with a sword, but I know your form because I taught it to you!"

"Are you going to have me dragged out back and butchered as you butchered Anthony Woodville and Richard Gray? If so, get on with it. The stench of your presence nauseates me but spare my daughter the pain of seeing my headless corpse."

"I have no intentions of executing you."

"Oh? Will you have me locked away in the Tower until I rot?"

Richard poured a goblet of wine and sat in the chair opposite him.

"No. I am going to talk, and I need you to listen."

"I have no choice, do I? Unless I fall asleep."

"It wouldn't be in your best interest or Jane's to do so."

"Where is she? What did you do to her!?" he cried.

"She is safe."

"WHERE IS SHE?" he roared.

"You'll listen and speak when I command you to if you want to see her!" Richard snapped. "Better. Now, I assume that you've pledged your fealty to Tudor during your visit to Lady Margaret and persuaded Elizabeth to ally the Woodvilles with him as well. Answer!"

"I have and by the grace of God he'll topple you from your throne before the year's out!"

"While you expect to keep your lands and titles."

"They are my daughter's inheritance. I won't have her living as a pauper if I die a traitor, but I cannot serve a king who is plotting to get his niece into his bed."

"What you saw, old friend was a charade that produced one of the results Anne and I hope for, that you would bring me the proof I needed that Lady Margaret still plots to put her son on the throne and her allies are those who believe Elizabeth and I are lovers."

"Do you expect me to believe this pack of lies?"

"You must," he heard Anne say weakly when she walked into the room. "We must be sure who will be loyal and who will not. I am dying, Morgan and Richard must have an heir to secure his throne."

"Not by his niece!"

"No, through his marriage to Joanna of Portugal and Elizabeth will marry Duke Manuel once the negotiations are complete."

"She intends to break the betrothal with Tudor?"

"The betrothal was her mother's wish, not hers."

"So, you intend to wed her to someone else she may not want."

"Better the Duke than a Lancaster."

"Do you think the gossip surrounding you hasn't reached Portugal? You'll never be able to negotiate marriage treaties with them if they believe you've bedded your niece while your wife is ailing."

"They are confined to England and here is where they'll stay."

"You'd best be certain of it, Richard because her reputation is at stake."

"You believe me then?"

"I've known you for a long time, Richard. You've always been a cautious man and a notorious plotter when it suits you, but your schemes have not worked in your favor lately." He glanced over at the ailing Queen. "You have convinced me, Your Grace."

"We would rather have you as an ally than an enemy Morgan," Richard said softly. "I know you made your pledge to Tudor, but this is my throne and I will defend it until my death. Stand with me."

"I want your word that if anything happens to me my Jane will be cared for."

Morgan bowed his head. "This is a difficult situation for all of us. You should've told me what you were doing sooner Richard. I never would've gone to Lady Margaret if I knew the truth."

"But now that you have it works in our favor. If Henry Tudor wants my crown, he will have to fight me for it on English soil. What you told me the day you left….you've seen the battle haven't you?"

Morgan nodded sadly. "He will come with the dragon as his standard around the time the sun hides behind the moon."

"Have you seen my death?"

"Richard, please…"

"Have you seen my death?"

"I've seen the white rose wither and die," he moaned, burying his face in his hands. He looked up; his eyes filled with tears. "No matter whom I stand with I'll leave my daughter an orphan and possibly the child of a traitor!"

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

"Do you need to stop a few minutes?" Rumple asked. David held up his hand and shook his head.

"I'm sorry. It's just that…remembering all this now is hard for me and seeing the people I went through it with is even harder. We all made difficult decisions and sacrifices leading up to the battle. Some of us lost our lives. Okay, go on."

"Richard captured you on your way back to where Jane was staying and told you everything you saw was a ploy to get Henry to come to England. When did you decide to become his spy?"

"I decided that day. I had to secure Jane's inheritance and the odds were in Richard's favor. He had a larger army but as Henry has said, the Stanleys were the wild card. I would continue to meet with Margaret and Elizabeth, but I would also be sending messages back to Richard through Brackenbury."

"He fooled us all," Margaret said. "Which was why I suggested him when my son decided to build up a network of spies to scorch the nests of traitors in his realm."

"He may have fooled us, but we still trusted him," Elizabeth Woodville added. "He was doing what any parent would do, putting his child first. We've all turned coats when we needed to protect our families. I was raised in the House of Lancaster and married into the House of York to protect my oldest sons."

"I lived a Lancaster and I died a Lancaster," Margaret declared proudly. "And I lived long enough to see my grandson crowned King of England."

"And wreck the country," Beth muttered.

"Beth!" David exclaimed.

"Well he did!" she defended. "Not to mention wreck our lives while he was at it!"

"Should I duck now or later," Henry VIII joked.

"Oh, get ready to duck because I'm sending your wives after you!" Beth threatened.

David laughed. "Better put your running shoes on Harry!"

"Bloody hell!"

"Back to where we were…approaching the summer of 1485."

"We need to start with the day of the eclipse," said Anne Neville.

"I haven't forgotten that, Your Grace."

"I don't like talking about this!" Richard jumped out of his chair and fled.

"He never did," David murmured.

London

March 16, 1485

Anne, his beloved queen was dying. Richard had been at her bedside through the night, ignoring pleas from his niece and friend that he should try to get some sleep. Morgan couldn't help thinking of his own vigil at Nan's bedside. She had cuckolded him and married him under false pretenses but he wanted to make her final months as painless as possible yet still she suffered as Anne now suffered.

"You…must…continue to negotiate with Portugal for Joanna."

"I can't….I can't…" Richard wept.

She reached up and caressed his cheek. "My Richard. Grieve for me but secure your throne."

"Your Grace," Elizabeth wept, holding her other hand.

"Lizzie, my dear girl…what a comfort you have been to me and to my Richard. Look after him until he secures a good match for you."

The girl nodded through her tears.

"Morgan…our oldest and dearest friend. Stand with my Richard."

"Always," Morgan murmured.

"And…wed again. You have been lonely too long."

"Even now you insist on it," he laughed through his tears.

"I am Queen. I command it. The light….is fading…"

"No…it's outside!" Richard exclaimed and rose, pulling back the drapes. Morgan and Elizabeth rose and walked over to the window.

The sun hides behind the moon! Morgan thought and crossed himself. He's coming. Tudor is coming!

Richard returned to Anne's bedside, holding her hand in his.

"Anne…my love…stay with me! I need you!" Richard pleaded.

"They're waiting for me….Father….Mother…Isabel…our Edward…."

"No, please…I love you…please don't go…" he sobbed.

"I will be watching over you Richard. I and our son," she whispered. "And we will always love you." She took deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Anne? ANNE!" Richard screamed, taking her lifeless body in his arms and cradling her against his chest. Elizabeth buried her face in Morgan's shoulder, sobbing while he wept in silence.

"Your Grace…" Morgan began.

"Take Elizabeth…and make the announcement that our Queen has passed into God's hands," the king said hoarsely.

"Come Elizabeth." Morgan took the young girl's hand and escorted her out of the queen's chambers, hearing the king scream in agony once again.

"We should…stay with him."

"We cannot. He wants to mourn in peace." They walked down the hall to where Robert Brackenbury stood. "The Queen has passed into God's hands. Watch over him Sir Robert," Morgan pleaded.

"My mother and Lady Margaret, they will see this as their chance to move against him. Morgan, what can we do?"

"We will honor our Queen's final wishes and look after him."

"Morgan, marrying Joanna will be a mistake. He will not love her as he loved Anne."

"Yet it was Anne's wish that he remarry. He will honor it."

Spring, 1485

Morgan hoped that the gossip surrounding Richard and Elizabeth would be silenced with the queen's death, but they'd only increased, and the King was now being accused of killing his wife by having her poisoned. It was an outrageous claim as the Queen's food was always tasted before being given to her and none of her tasters complained of poison. One evening Elizabeth and Morgan were summoned to his chambers.

"Elizabeth, I am sending you away from court."

"Where am I to go?"

"You will reside with Lady Margaret. If my negotiations with the Portuguese for the Duke fail, you must honor the betrothal to Henry Tudor. Morgan, you will go with her."

"Uncle! He knows of the lies spread about me and may not want me!"

"He will if he wants to keep the throne."

"Richard, you're talking like you're going to die!"

"I may die, Morgan. I am no fool. Henry Tudor is coming and if it is God's will he be King of England you will make certain he chooses Elizabeth as his queen. It was one of the terms of your alliance was it not?"

"It was."

"He still does not suspect you spy for my uncle?" Elizabeth queried.

"He does not, nor does his mother or yours. Your mother will side with the victor."

"I will be sending my envoys to Portugal to discuss the marriage treaties. Even if my marriage to Joanna does not produce an heir, I intend to name John De La Pole or your cousin Edward as my successor. Morgan, we must now discuss Jane's guardianship."

"You are named her guardian."

"Who succeeds me?"

"No one."

"You must make Lady Margaret her guardian in the event of your death."

"Richard!"

"It is a sensible choice, Morgan."

"Is it? I have no guarantee she will hold Mayford for Jane once she learns I've played her false." He removed an object from his pocket and handed it to her. "If Richard and I do not return from battle and my lands seized, you are to give this to Thomas. He knows what must be done with it."

"What is it?"

"That coin will create a storm that will carry Jane from this land back to mine. She is destined to return there and somehow unite the Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov. I was not told when, but I fear this may be the time."

"If I am being sent into Lady Margaret's care, I will do all I can to make certain she and her son honor their promises to you."

Richard stood up and embraced his niece. "I am sorry that I am the cause of such terrible rumors about you. I should have planned this more carefully."

"What will you do with Tudor if he survives the battle?"

"If he's wise, he won't. His mother will remain in exile. I would never execute a lady, but I will not have her plotting against me again."

A small company of men escorted Elizabeth and her sisters to Lady Margaret's custody. Elizabeth expected a cool reception from Lady Margaret, but her betrothed's mother greeted her kindly. She and her sisters retired to their rooms while Margaret summoned Morgan to a private audience.

"Has he bedded her?"

"No, my Lady he has not. Our quick action has prevented such a travesty. Elizabeth will go to your son's bed a maid. Still, sending her away has not silenced the gossip. Many believe he had Queen Anne poisoned to clear a path for Elizabeth to his bed. What news of Henry?"

"Little for now but you must make ready when he arrives, Lord Mayford. I do not believe Richard will keep Elizabeth in my custody for long. Where is your daughter?"

"Hidden away until there is an end to this conflict."

In truth she was with the other children under guard, Richard having given strict orders that the children not be released into the custody of anyone other than his trusted confidantes. Morgan was relieved Lord Stanley was not listed among them. Richard had decided to take Stanley's son into his custody to ensure his father's cooperation in the coming battle.

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

Henry VII, accompanied by the ghost of his late uncle Jasper Tudor knelt on the beach, letting the sand run through his fingers.

"I arrived at Milford Haven on August 7, 1485 on a beach like this one," the former king narrated. "I had 2000 troops with me, most of them mercenaries."

"I had spies stationed at Dale Castle, but the castle was taken and many there deserted me and jointed Tudor. It was five days before my forces could mobilize and begin our march to intercept him."

The reenactors began to move into their positions on the lawn, Richard and Henry directing them. Richard donned his helmet with the golden circlet around it and mounted his horse, riding to the front of the royal army with David on one side and Charming as Robert Brackenbury on the other. David's brothers took their positions, waiting for their moment.

Henry VII mounted his own horse, his uncle at his side while his mother sat on the lawn beaming with pride, finally able to witness her son's greatest triumph firsthand.

"The night before the battle I asked to speak to Morgan alone. The legend is that I met with a seer in Leicester, but it was Morgan since only a few people knew what he was," Richard said through the microphone clipped to his helmet.

"I'd been having terrifying nightmares and visions prior to the battle. Richard wanted to know if I foresaw victory for him."

"But the legend that was recorded was part of the vision I saw. It was recorded like this: 'where your spur should strike on the ride into battle, your head shall be broken on the return'," David added. "Richard's spur struck a stone on Bow Bridge while we were riding in and his head struck the same stone on the back of the horse when it was carrying him away from the battle."

"He was in tears when he told me. I knew it was a vision of my death and I was determined to avoid it at all costs. Morgan, Robert and I rode ahead of the army. Are you with me, Morgan?"

"To the death, Your Grace," David vowed, tears in his eyes as they were last words Richard had spoken to him while alive. Richard held out his gloved hand clasped Morgan's in it, raising them high. They nudged their horses forward and charged at Henry Tudor's men.

"At some point during the battle Henry Tudor was unprotected," Rumple narrated, the camera turning to where Henry was on the ground.

"All I kept thinking was where was Stanley? Why wasn't he assisting me?"

"I rode forward ready to cut Tudor down myself," Richard said, riding toward where Henry stood.

"One of Henry's men pulled me off my horse and we were fighting on the ground," David said. "I could see Richard riding to Henry and stole one of Henry's horses to follow him."

"If Richard is able to kill Henry Tudor, he can win," Rumple narrated. Everyone watching was on the edge of their seats.

"Since it seems Richard is going to win, we're just going to sit here," Archie Two says in his role as Thomas Stanley. "I was told my son would be executed unless I fought with the King but 'I have other sons' was the reply I sent back."

"But then I see Richard being unhorsed," Archie says in his role as William Stanley. "Now that he's down Henry has a stronger chance of winning so now was the time to make our move." He nudged his horse and he and his troops raced down the hill while Archie Two and his men rode in from their position.

"God forbid that I retreat one step. I will either win the battle as a king, or die as one! York! York to me!" Richard commanded, advancing forward on foot with Robert and David at his side.

"Those were his actual words and he was just about to reach Henry when the Stanleys moved in."

"For Tudor! For Tudor!" Archie and Archie Two shouted.

"Treason!" Richard snarled and began to fight his way through Henry's men on the ground.

"Get the king a horse!" shouted Sir Robert. "Morgan, get the king a horse!"

"I could see a horse in the distance but would have to fight my way to it. Richard was fighting hard but just as I reached the horse William Stanley's men surrounded him. Robert was already dead, and they were beating Richard to death. Once our men saw that, they started running. I was too horrified to move."

"Richard's remains, recently discovered show that there were eleven wounds on his body, nine alone on his head," Adora Cain held up an X-ray. "The death weapon was said to have been a halberd. There is also a missing portion of the skull suggesting he was not wearing his helmet. Richard's death was long and brutal."

Archie Two knelt, retrieved the circlet from the helmet and walked over to where Henry stood. He held the crown up and placed it on the new king's head.

"Henry Tudor! By the Grace of God, King of England and of France, Prince of Wales and Lord of Ireland!" he announced.

"That's from Shadow of the Tower," his wife Tracey, Enchanted Forest Three's former Blue Fairy whispered to the others. "Great job honey!"

"I love Shadow of the Tower!" Rumple's mother exclaimed. Margaret rose from her chair and walked out onto the lawn, tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.

"I told you this day would come," she said to her son. Archie Two was about to stand up. "You may stay down on your knees. I am the King's mother and you shall kneel to me as if to a Queen. I am Margaret Regina!" she cried.

Bosworth Field

August 22, 1485

It was over. His closest friend lay dead, stripped of everything and tossed naked as the day he was born onto the back of a horse, his crown now on young Henry Tudor's head. Morgan held the horse's reins, cursing himself for reaching it too late. He felt a hand touch his shoulder.

"Elizabeth and Jane. You must go to them before they capture you. Run, Morgan. For God's sake run!" he heard Richard's voice hiss in his ear.

He jumped on the horse and rode away, praying he would reach his destination before he too was paraded through the streets as part of the new King's victory celebration.


	6. Know Thy Enemies

London, England

August, 1485

He rode through the night, praying that he would reach Sheriff Hutton before Tudor's troops. If Henry didn't marry Elizabeth, he feared she and her sisters would be locked in the Tower like their brother and quietly disposed of along with their Clarence cousins. As for his precious Jane, his heart ached at the thought of sending her back to the Enchanted Forest with only his squire as her guardian. He'd schooled his squire all he could about his land, hoping it would be enough to ensure their survival.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived and found the children outside with the dowager Queen. He jumped down from his horse and to his daughter, holding out his arms.

"Papa!" Jane cried. He scooped her up in his arms and cradled her to him, weeping joyfully.

"Morgan! Is the battle over? What happened?" Elizabeth Woodville demanded.

He set his daughter on her feet and lowered his head. "The King is dead. Henry Tudor has claimed the crown by conquest," he said sadly.

"Uncle Richard's dead?" her daughter asked. He nodded.

"He fought bravely Your Highness and we would've won but for the Stanleys. They turned and fought for Tudor." He raised his head, meeting the young princess's eyes.

"He will be coming for you, Lizzie. You must be ready."

"And you would have me be Queen of England as you once were. "I warned you your ambition would be the death of my brothers and now that they're gone you want ME on the throne!" Lizzie sobbed and ran into the house.

Morgan picked Jane up again and carried her down to the lake. One of their favorite pastimes was sitting by the lake at Mayford skipping stones across the water, a game he loved to play back in the Enchanted Forest as a child.

"My lord," he heard Thomas say and looked up. His young squire stood beside the lake, the coin the goddess Ozmalita had given him in his hand. "Is it time to use this?"

"Not yet but I fear it may come soon."

"Is it true? Is King Richard dead?"

"He is though he fought bravely. We were betrayed by the Stanleys."

"As you suspected you would be. Then Henry Tudor is now King."

"Crowned on the battlefield."

Thomas snorted. "He will be looking for you now my lord if he realizes you fought with Richard."

"That is why I need you to keep that coin safe and use it if I am captured. Jane will be safe in our realm but do not take her to my father or brother. She must be taken to the Temple of Lurline in Oz. They will help her learn how to control her magic."

"No one gonna take Papa away!" Jane said angrily. "I'll stop 'em!"

"My lord Mayford! My Lord Mayford! They're coming!" he heard the dowager queen shout from a distance. Morgan scooped up his daughter and ran into the house as a group of riders approached, one bearing the dragon standard.

"Thomas, take Jane and hide her. Go!" Morgan commanded his squire.

"Papa!" the toddler wailed. "No, I wanna stay with Papa!"

The dowager queen and her daughters came out of the house as the leader dismounted his horse. Morgan's hands tightened around the hilt of his sword.

"King Henry has sent me to escort you to London."

"Where will we be lodged?"

"The Tower, my lady."

Lizzie gasped.

"Take Lord Mayford into custody. He is wanted for treason against His Grace King Henry." Two men seized Morgan, forcing him to release his sword.

Suddenly the door to the house came off its hinges.

"You not taking my papa to hurt him!" Jane yelled and came out of the house, her tiny hands clenched into fists.

"Jane, no!" her father cried.

The little girl glared at the two men restraining her father and branches from a nearby tree reached out and seized them, suspending them in the air.

"Jane, stop!"

"They not taking you!" she cried.

A fierce wind blew, startling the horses and forcing them to throw their riders.

"Jane! I said STOP!" Morgan shouted.

"Burn the witches!" one of the men yelled.

"Jane poppet, please you have to stop before you hurt someone! Listen to me!" Morgan pleaded. "Please, listen to me!"

"Not taking you away! I'll hurt 'em all if they take you away!"

"Gentlemen, you have a choice. Spare her father or be destroyed!" the dowager queen informed the king's men gleefully.

"You are not helping matters!" Morgan snapped. "Jane, release them. NOW!"

"Papa!" Jane wailed.

"They're not going to harm me. Release them, poppet. Thomas, the coin!" Morgan instructed, picking up Jane.

"Sorry, Papa!" Jane sobbed, burying her face in her father's shoulder.

"It's alright, poppet. It's alright," he soothed. "Thomas, give me the coin."

"Morgan, please stay," the dowager queen begged.

"I can't, not now. It's too dangerous for us."

"Morgan, let me speak to the king. If I can have you pardoned, will you stay?"

"Your Highness, he's having you lodged in the Tower!" Morgan reminded Lizzie. "He may be planning to set you aside and take another for his wife."

"He cannot hold the crown without me, and he knows it. I will be Queen of England and I give you my word that I will keep you and your daughter safe."

Morgan tucked the coin into his pouch. "I hope you're right…for all our sakes."

Jane wriggled out of her father's arms and approached the troops. "You forget and be nice," she commanded.

The others were shocked when they discovered that the soldiers had forgotten the magical feats they'd witnessed and escorted the group to London peacefully.

Their entry into London was a quiet affair, the dowager queen and her daughters immediately taken to modest lodgings in the palace while Morgan was commanded to a private audience with the King. The earl's knees knocked, and his hands trembled as the King's guards escorted him into the throne room. The new King sat upon his throne while his mother sat in the Queen's throne.

"We have been asked to pardon you Lord Mayford, for your treasonous acts against us." The King announced. Morgan raised his head defiantly.

"Everything I have done, I've done for my daughter," he declared. "Execute me if you will but I beg you, do not allow my daughter to suffer for the sins of her father."

"If you swear your allegiance to us within thirty days, your lands and title will be returned to you. You may return to court with our blessing, if you answer our question."

"Your Grace?"

"Were the rumors true? Did my betrothed lie with her uncle?"

"What was witnessed between them at court was part of a ruse your predecessor, with his wife's blessing, concocted to lure you back to England. The princess is still a maid, Your Grace. I would stake my life on it as I knew your predecessor well."

"Yet you were deceived by his ruse and sought an alliance with my lady mother."

"I admit I was, Your Grace, as were many at court but once I learned the truth, I knew it was God's will that I continue to serve the man I believed was my king."

"Ah but he was a usurper, Lord Mayford. The crown belonged to his nephew and he snatched it away from him and locked him and his brother away."

"I do not deny his actions in taking the throne were questionable, Your Grace but he was my king."

"And now we are your king as we were your king on August the 21st. Therefore, by fighting on the side of the usurper, you were in fact, committing high treason."

"Your Grace, you were crowned on the battlefield on August the 22nd. I witnessed it."

"No, our reign began the day before, Lord Mayford."

"So, he intends to rewrite his history," Richard scoffed as he appeared beside Morgan. "Worry not. They cannot see or hear me. Speak to me with your thoughts."

What does he want of me?

"I believe he has a need of your unique talents, Morgan."

What talents?

"You are a master of deception my friend, and who better to uncover a nest of a traitors than one who has played the game well and lived to tell of it?"

"Yes, Your Grace," Morgan said aloud.

"You are a clever man, Lord Mayford, one we would rather have as an ally than an enemy. There are many in England that would oppose our reign and we would like you to assist us in choosing our instruments for scorching the nests of traitors."

"What did I tell you?" Richard smirked.

You put him up to it.

"I'm dead. Rather difficult to put anyone up to anything when I'm dead. Dead in a grave naked as the day I was born where no one can find me."

Someday you will be found and given a proper burial.

"Will you be there…when I am?"

In one form or another.

"And now we must have your rooms prepared," Lady Margaret said and rose from the throne. "This Grace is to be crowned at Westminster and we would like you to attend, Lord Mayford."

"Thank you, Your Graces," Morgan said, bowing. "Will my daughter be joining me?"

"She will and soon we must discuss suitable candidates for her hand." Margaret held out her hand. "If you will come with me, Lord Mayford."

"I believe I have you to thank for my pardon," Morgan said once they left the throne room.

"I understood your reasons. You felt my son stood little chance of claiming the crown."

"He did Lady Margaret. I was there. Richard would've struck him down had the Stanleys not intervened. You understand he will still have a difficult time holding the crown without Elizabeth."

"He will marry her once he has the dispensation from His Holiness."

"It is my hope that their marriage grows into a love match."

Margaret smiled wistfully. "I was too young when I was wed to John de La Pole and Edmund Tudor. My marriage to De la Pole was annulled after three years and with Edmund Tudor I was a child sent to do a woman's duty. Henry is my only child and I thank God every day for him. Henry Stafford was my third husband and I loved him deeply. I was blessed for the years I had with him. You have been a widower for some time. Perhaps we can make a good match for you."

"My lady, I appreciate the offer, but I am content."

"Have you a mistress?"

He shook his head. "I have no need of one since Jane and my duties at court and at Mayford consume so much of my time."

"Ah, so you wish to live as a monk as I live as a nun with Stanley. I hope you find your rooms suitable."

"They will suit me well, my lady."

"Henry will grant you permission to return to Mayford once he's settled. I will make certain of that."

"Thank you, my lady."

A few weeks later Morgan was summoned to another private audience with the King. He was settling into his role well, but the York nobles were becoming impatient with him over the proposed marriage to Elizabeth. Morgan was one of the few people at court aware that the king was waiting for the dispensation to arrive.

"Your Grace," Morgan bowed.

"I must ask your advice on a private matter, Lord Mayford and I trust this conversation will go no further than these walls?"

"Your Grace I have pledged my fealty to you. I do not intend to break it."

"Unless I give you cause to?"

"I am confident you won't. What would you have me advise you on?"

"My betrothed. Lord Mayford, you know my bride better than I do and I wish to get to know her before we're wed. I've had little experience with courtship in exile and my Uncle Jasper's advice is somewhat limited as well."

"It has been some time since I courted a lady, Your Grace but I think I remember enough of it."

"I assumed you would have a mistress or two."

"No, Your Grace. While many men do take mistresses, I choose to remain celibate until I am ready to wed again."

"But you have no male heir, Lord Mayford. Surely you would prefer that your lands and title pass to a male heir."

"Jane is my firstborn and Lady Elizabeth's father decreed that the lands and title will pass to her and then her descendants. Any man that intends to marry my daughter may do so…if he renounces any claims to her fortune. She will be given a suitable dowry but that is all. Your lady mother would like to see her married to a Tudor man."

Morgan heard laughter and turned to see Richard seated on the throne shaking his head.

Stop it.

"He won't be able to woo Lizzie with pretty words. She still believes his mother may have ordered the deaths of her brothers but now I know one of them lives and his mother will not rest until she puts him on the throne."

We've heard nothing from him.

"And you won't until she's certain he's ready to be crowned. These wars are becoming like the one you mentioned in your land, us killing each other until the line dies out."

You're fortunate he can't hear you.

"I'm dead. What can he do?"

Summon a priest to banish you. Why are you here with me and not with your wife and son? They need you.

"I won't be here all the time Morgan, but you will need my counsel if you and Lizzie want to survive in this court. Perhaps if Lizzie is content in her marriage her mother will cease her plotting though I doubt it."

"Lord Mayford?" Henry demanded impatiently.

"Oh?"

"Did you hear a word I said?"

"I am sorry, Your Grace. These last few weeks have been difficult."

"I will invite Elizabeth to dine with me this evening, but she must have a chaperone…to protect her reputation of course. Will you deliver my invitation to her and accompany her?"

"Yes, Your Grace. But first we must discuss your courtship. There is bad blood on both sides, but you can change that. Show her the man, not the King. Let her see the Henry Tudor you want her to see."

The king smiled. "Then all will be well."

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

"…The York faction was growing impatient when the coronation passed and Henry still wasn't married to Elizabeth," David was saying. "Though they did see each other often."

Henry VII glared at the camera. "I've been told there are some stories out there that our son Arthur was conceived before our wedding and that it was done by force. While that did happen in some marriages, it did not in ours! Our son was conceived on our wedding night though he may have been born a little early…."

London, England

September 24, 1486

Every noble in England gathered at Winchester Cathedral to witness the christening of the newly born Prince Arthur. Morgan was not surprised to discover that the prince had been named for the legendary King Arthur, whom the King claimed his ancestry could be traced back to.

"Papa, when can we see the prince?" Jane asked impatiently.

"When the King wishes us to poppet."

"Can I play with him?"

"I'll have to ask His Grace's permission, poppet."

"I got to play with Teddy till he went away. When they gonna let him come out?"

Morgan frowned. The young Earl of Warwick's confinement in the Tower was a source of contention between him and the new King as his cousin's had been between him and Richard.

"He's a child! He wouldn't harm anyone!"

"He's power to Henry's enemies. Haven't you learned that lesson by now Morgan?" Richard asked when they were alone. "He's the grandson of the Kingmaker and the mere mention of the name could incite many to rise up against Tudor."

"W cannot have a repeat of your mistake, someone murdering the boy and placing the blame on Henry."

"Now that Henry has a son, he is one step closer to securing his throne but there are still many York supporters that would love to see him toppled from the throne and another put in his place. No one really knows what happened to Edward's sons. It would be easy for someone to come forward claiming to be Edward or Richard. In any case, Henry should be prepared."

"You know the truth now."

Richard shook his head. "Edward does not appear to me, nor does his father. I have myself to blame of course. Perhaps one day they will appear to you. If they do, tell them….tell them I regret what I've done."

The prince and former king never appeared though Morgan hoped one day they would, and he would be able to ease his friend's suffering.

London

November, 1486

Two months after giving birth to Arthur, the long-awaited day for Elizabeth's coronation had arrived. Jane was excited to be attending another court celebration while Morgan was pleased to see one of his dearest friends reclaim her birthright as Queen of England.

"Married life suits you, Your Grace," Morgan said as he handed her a goblet later that evening.

"I believe I owe you a debt of gratitude Morgan. Henry tells me you gave him some advice on how to court me and I now see a different side to my husband. He's never really had a family and I intend to give him a large one." She glanced over at Jane who was playing with some of the other noble children. "God willing, I will be with child again soon. Have you given any thought to Lady Margaret's choices for a husband for Jane?"

"How can I tell her that I cannot accept any offers for her when she is to return to my land?"

"Do you know when that will be?"

"No. Only the goddess Ozmalita knows the answer and she has not come to see me…but your uncle has."

"You've seen Richard? And spoken to him?"

"His only concern was that you are safe, Elizabeth. I will watch over you as best I can, but Henry must protect you better than I. He is your husband and our King."

"And what are the two of you plotting?" Henry joked when he joined them.

"We were discussing children my lord," Elizabeth said with a smile. "And my hopes that I will soon bear us another son…or daughter."

"They are my hopes as well," Henry said softly and kissed her cheek. "Arthur will start to think the dogs are his brothers and sisters," he added referring to the Queen's greyhounds.

"I am thinking that I should get one for Jane as a companion," Morgan mused.

"She is growing fast Morgan."

"Too fast for my liking and I am getting longer in the tooth."

"You are not that much older than me, my lord Earl yet you look younger. The heavy burden of the crown is aging me quickly as it did those before me. Come, we will speak in private."

Once they were alone in the council room Henry locked the door.

"The queen and I have no secrets. She has told me of your….abilities. You see what others cannot see."

"Your Grace, how many know if it? I will be sent to the fires if word gets out. Your Lady Mother is a pious woman and already believes the Queen and her mother are witches."

"The dowager queen is a witch. My queen has renounced the arts yet she insists that I speak to you if I wish to know if there are traitors in my court."

"I have seen nothing that would be cause for alarm Your Grace."

"The Earl of Lincoln and Francis Lovell are plotting in Flanders with the Duchess of Burgundy. I am certain of it. What I do not know is if the Queen's mother is plotting with them. If she is, I will have her removed from court. King James of Scotland needs a wife and the Scots are a bothersome lot."

"His marriage was an unhappy one, or so I've been told."

"Aye. Queen Margaret only went to his bed to beget heirs. I am fortunate that Bess and I have grown to love each other since we were wed. Your own marriage was an unhappy one. Do not look so shocked my lord earl."

"Few knew the truth about my marriage. I am assuming it was the queen that told you."

"Aye. She hopes to see you wed to a woman more agreeable."

"Why would a woman be content wed to a minor noble when there are many others to choose from? No, I will live out my days overseeing my estates and finding a suitable match for my Jane. Your Grace, I don't think it wise to pursue a match between the Dowager Queen and the Scots king."

"Why?"

"She still mourns Edward; Your Grace and the Scots would be looking for any opportunity to come against us. They wanted their own country yet the skirmishes on our borders continue. Also, James has been an inept king and our campaign there was a disaster."

"Aye he is as weak as my late uncle, God rest his soul. I only met him briefly, yet I will never forget his final words to me. He believed I would be king and now I am king, but I will be the stronger one. We must know what treasonous plots are being hatched in Burgundy."

"You would send me to Burgundy? Your Grace, the Earl of Lincoln would have me slaughtered upon my arrival. He was tolerable until he heard he would be named Richard's heir."

"You are resourceful and will gain their confidence. I am certain of it."

"And Jane?"

"Will remain at court. The Queen will have her cared for as if she were our own daughter. You will stay at court and depart after the new year begins."

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring 2018

"…But I didn't leave court then. I'd been lucky with my health when I lived in England but in 1487 I became the latest victim of the sweating sickness."

"The sweating sickness is one of history and medical science's greatest mysteries," narrated Adora Cain. "No one knows where it came from or how it was caused."

"It's been said that my troops brought it with them from France, inciting rumors that it was a punishment from God and that my reign was cursed," Henry VII said angrily.

"It also had a low survival rate," Adora went on. "There are at least three famous cases of the sweat; Prince Arthur, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Of the three, only two survived it; Catherine and Anne."

"I knew I had it when one of my maids ran out of my room screaming when she found me in bed in so much pain I could barely move and shivering. After that, the sweating starts and you're dead within a day of getting it," David added.

"David, like all of us born in Nonestica, has an immune system with a better defense against some of the worst illnesses in this land because he's been exposed to them before…in ours. What the English called the sweat is our version of the Ozian plague, the first outbreak occurring fifteen years before David arrived in England."

"My father claimed my mother died of childbed fever, but it was the Ozian plague. My parents were in Oz when she gave birth to me." David made a face. "He was trying to run one of his cons in Emerald City and they chased them out. Everyone at Henry's was shocked when I was still alive after twenty-four hours, but I could barely get out of bed. It took me weeks to recover. It wasn't my last experience with it either." His eyes met Henry's. "Arthur, Catherine and I were ill at Ludlow together, but Catherine and I noticed that Arthur seemed weaker after the wedding." David lowered his head. "Arthur told me when we were alone that he didn't think he'd live much longer."

Henry and his wife wept in their chairs beside him.

"Would you like to take a break?" Rumple inquired gently. They nodded. "We'll start again when you're ready but now I have to summon the spirits we will be talking to for the next part of the segment."

Rumple rose from his chair.

"The Guardian of the West gate summons thee

Katherine Gordon; Lambert Simnel; Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy; Edward, Earl of Warwick; and Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury appear now before me!" he chanted.

The spirits appeared in their youthful forms and were seated close to Elizbeth Woodville.

The Duchess of Burgundy was smirking. "I am going to enjoy this segment."

"Indeed, you harridan!" Henry VII snapped. "God's teeth woman, you tried my patience more than any other!"

His son laughed. "Should we duck flying objects, Father."

"You be silent! You have your own issues to worry about when your brother and Catherine arrive…and they will!"

Henry VIII cringed.

"Can I help it if I'm enjoying watching him squirm?" Beth whispered to David. "He deserves it after everything he put US through!"

"Rumple is only summoning Catherine, Anne and Jane since they were the only wives I lived long enough to meet. Marciella would have to tell them about Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr since she and Jane served them all."

"Is Rumple summoning Jane?"

"He'll have to." He sighed. "And there are things I need to say to my daughter."

"David…"

He held up his hand. "They have to be said! Had she taken Malcolm to the Temple of Lurline like I asked her to he never would've become Pan and abandoned Rumple, dammit!"

"Honey," She took his hands in hers and gazed into his eyes. "Changing his fate could've changed ours too. You know that. Your great-grandson did what he was destined to do. He united the Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov and ended the blood feud."

He caressed her cheek tenderly. "I know. But it still hurts. I didn't raise her that way. We didn't raise her that way."

"No but it was her choice and she was the one who had to live with it. They're ready to start again."

"Before the break Lord Mayford you mentioned that your mission to Burgundy was delayed because you fell ill with the sweating sickness…our version of the Ozian plague. Did you ever get to Burgundy?" Rumple asked David.

"Yes, but not until later."

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have some new guests on the lawn. Young man, can you tell us what your name is?"

"Lambert Simnel," came the reply.

"And what was your role in King Henry VII's court?"

"I worked in his kitchens." The boy sighed. "And I am fortunate that I lived as long as I did. He could've had me executed for treason."

"Why?"

"Because I pretended to be Edward, Earl of Warwick."

"My lord Earl you were imprisoned in the Tower at the time, were you not?"

"Yes but I didn't like it there," The young earl of Warwick shivered. In death as he was in life, he was still a man with a child's mentality. "I still don't like it there, but you always came to visit me. You brought your little girl and the King didn't know it." Warwick smiled at David.

"He's right. I did bring Jane to visit him, hoping that seeing a friendly face would bring him back to himself and Lizzie, Maggie and I begged Henry for years to release him."

"But you never did!" Maggie Pole raged at Henry VII. "You had him put to death on trumped up charges because you were being pressured by Spain. Damn you! Damn you!"

"Henry's poor judgement worked in our favor," the Duchess of Burgundy declared haughtily.

"So well you were willing to get a child killed," Henry VII sneered.

"Bloody hell! Am I going to have to restrain them? They're a powder keg waiting to explode!" Rumple exclaimed.

"How do you think I feel?! I lived with this every day!" David cried.

"Lambert, can you tell us how you were made to pose as Edward, Earl of Warwick?"

Simnel explained that he'd gone to live with a priest named Simon; the priest's original plan was to claim the boy was the lost Duke of York until he'd been told that Edward of Warwick died in the Tower. It was then that he decided he would pass the boy off as Edward. He began filling the ears of York supporters with tales that Edward had escaped and was now under his protection.

"After that, where did you go?"

"Ireland…to the Earl of Kildare."

"You were also given a coronation ceremony in Dublin, were you not?"

"Yes, sir."

"Kildare already had troops ready for a rebellion. John de la Pole came to my residence and claimed he helped Teddy escape. Lovell was already there so I hired them Flemish mercenaries and sent them to Ireland," the Duchess added.

"Once I heard what was going on in Ireland, I had to get my own army ready. I was determined to squash the rebellion and send my wife's aunt a message that she would pay dearly if she continued threatening my reign." Henry VII glared at the Duchess.

Mayford

June, 1487

His recovery from the sweating sickness had taken long than he'd anticipated but Morgan thanked the Lord daily that he'd survived it. He'd expected to remain at court until the King thought him well enough to travel to Burgundy. The King decided in early March that he would send Morgan back to Mayford. Morgan was grateful for the escape. He'd served four kings since his arrival in England and one thing remained the same in their courts; it was a dog eat dog world and only the strongest survived.

He and Jane sat by the lake, Morgan reading to her from one of the few books he brought from the Enchanted Forest. He'd been learning how to read Ozian, the most complex of Nonestica's languages prior to his departure and one of his favorite books told the story of the Ozian gods Hades and Persephone and their daughters Lurline and Alemedia.

"Alemedia is the bad one right, Papa?"

"Yes. She is what this land calls the Devil and you must never surrender to any of the temptations offered to you. Do you remember my reading some of the passages of the Holy Book to you?"

She nodded. "Papa, why's your holy book different from the Queen's?"

"I have two of them, poppet. From this land and my homeland."

"But which one do I follow?"

"I have raised you in this land's faith and that is the one you must follow until we return to mine."

"But when do I go there?"

"We must wait until the goddess Ozmalita tells us it's time."

"Can you tell me about the boat again?"

"The boat?"

"Noah's boat. The one he kept all the animals from drowning in."

He smiled, opened his Bible and began reading. He was halfway through the story when he looked down and saw Jane asleep on the grass. He closed the book and kissed her forehead. Moments later he too was asleep.

"My lord, my lord!" one of his housemaids cried, shaking him.

"Beatrice!" he exclaimed. "What is the meaning of this?"

"My lord, the King is coming!"

"What?!"

"You did not know?"

"No, I did not." He picked up Jane and rose to his feet. "Thomas! Where are you boy?"

"Here, my lord!" the young squire panted.

"The King is coming. We must get the house ready immediately!"

The group ran back to the house, the staff already in a frenzy as the letter informing Morgan of the royal visit had arrived late and the King would almost certainly reach the manor before it was ready."

"The stables are not large enough for that many horses!" complained the groom.

"Then we'll house as many as we can. The King's horse must be kept in the stable."

"My lord, we may not have enough food for everyone!" the cook whined.

"We will have to make do and hope that we can find some game on the grounds to increase our stores."

Morgan and his staff worked for days to ready the manor for the royal visit, the king finally arriving two days later with a small entourage.

"You are well, Lord Mayford?" the king asked him once they were alone in Morgan's study.

"I am and fortunate. Did I ever tell you that this 'sweating sickness' also exists in my world?"

"No, you did not but you have aroused my curiosity. What did they call it in your land?"

"The Ozian plague. My mother died of it, but my father blamed my birth. I still do not understand how I'm still alive."

"You're not from this realm my lord and perhaps that is the reason."

Morgan handed him a goblet of wine. "Your visit is not only to inquire about my health is it, Your Grace? You would like me to go to Burgundy."

"It is too late for that. The Earl of Lincoln, Lovell and the Duchess of Burgundy have raised an army and they are marching here under the Earl of Warwick's name."

"What? But…but's still lodged in the Tower is he not?"

"He is but they've found a boy they claim is the earl and have even given him a coronation. I will put this rebellion down, but I am in need of more men."

"I only have a small company of men Your Grace."

"Are they loyal to me or to York?"

"They are loyal to their king as I am."

"Then you will lead them."

"I will."

Stoke Field

June 16, 1487

An unusual light in the sky had spooked some of the King's men, leading them to believe their campaign was cursed and many of them fled into the woods. Henry's commanders; the Earls of Oxford and Shrewsbury, the Duke of Bedford, Lord Scales and Lord Strange now had the difficult task of restoring morale but restore it they did, and their army was ready for battle.

"There are too many of them my lord!" Thomas cried as he, Morgan and all of Oxford's men found themselves being outnumbered by the mercenary forces. Oxford's men were the only forces engaged in battle and they'd been fighting for hours. "My lord! We must get you to safety!"

"No, we will hold our position!" Morgan said firmly. He looked up, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw some of Jasper Tudor's men reinforcing them. The Earl of Oxford's men were exhausted but they pressed on with assistance from the archers, concentrating their arrows on the Irish forces, their armor poor defense against them.

"We've got them my lord! We've got them!" Thomas cheered yet the German and Swiss mercenaries chose to stay and fight rather than retreat, but they were little match for Jasper Tudor's longbow men. Some of the York forces retreated to the ravine where they were quickly cut down by Oxford's men.

Morgan leaned against a tree exhausted. This battle had been bloodier than Bosworth, yet it left no room for doubt that Henry Tudor was a force to be reckoned with and it would have to take more than a pretend Earl to topple him from his throne. He limped back to the King's tent, hearing him shouting at his uncle.

"Alive, by my lady, alive I said!"

"The soldiers were excited."

"By my order, alive! Their excited blunder has cost me this traitor's testimony!"

"The field is yours, nephew, what more do you want?"

"And there'll be more and more, an eternity of bloody battlefields unless I can stamp out revolt within this realm! Lincoln here LIVING was essential for that!"

Morgan wisely held his tongue. Though Jasper's soldiers were excited, he doubted Lincoln wanted to be taken alive. He sat down and sipped gratefully from the goblet of wine a squire brought to him while he tended to the deep gash on his leg. Moments later the boy and Richard Simon were brought before the king.

"And the begetter of all our pain and slaughter! They told you, you would make yourself Archbishop. Your seat is in Hell and you will find there. Take him to my lord Archbishop of Canterbury. He will know what to do with him. No man must ever see or hear of him again!"

Oxford's men hauled Simon to his feet and took him away leaving Morgan and Henry alone with the boy.

"Come here, boy!" the king commanded. The boy approached him slowly. "Yes, very like. You do know that you are like one I know? What's your name?"

"My name…they call…I am Warwick."

"You stole another's name and title. That is a great sin."

"I didn't mean to, sir."

"So great a crime," Henry went on. "that you must die for it."

"Henry!" Morgan exclaimed. "My God…he's a child! You cannot! Remember Richard! You won the crown because he was believed to have slaughtered innocent children. Do not repeat his mistake!"

The king ignored him and held up a parchment. "Do you see this? Your rebels dead. Some four thousand. And on this two thousand died for me. Six thousand men would be living but for today. Dead on your account. And the cost of faithful men who are sick of war yet still must pay for your presumption! Will you repay God for that? And would you repay me for treason? For what you've perpetrated today is treason!"

Morgan cringed while Henry explained the punishment for high treason in agonizing detail.

"Is that a fair bargain for the horror and discomfort you've caused this day?"

The boy wept softly.

"Well?!" Henry demanded impatiently.

The boy fell to his knees before the king, begging for his mercy.

"Yes, yes you are very young. Too young to be a martyr in a hopeless cause. Would you think so?"

"I think so, sir."

Morgan stared at Henry in stunned silence. What was he planning to do?

"What did you say your name was?"

"I've been told so many things. I don't know what to call myself."

"Ah, here are your Irish friends and mine too I suppose. Kings must make do mustn't they? Can you serve wine?" Henry asked when some Irish soldiers were brought into the tent.

"Yes sir."

"Then serve these gentlemen false and true wine! There's the stoop and there's the cups. If you serve them well, you might serve me. So, my masters of Ireland, you would crown apes at last. Well then, drink. Come, your toasts. I give you Lambert Simnel, my new servant!" He'd cut the parchment into the shape of a crown and placed it on the boy's head. "King Lambert Simnel!"

Henry chuckled as he sipped his wine. He then dismissed them all.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Morgan asked bitterly once they were alone.

"It was better than he deserved."

"And you were no better, humiliating him like that!"

"How dare you speak to your king in this manner? Are you forgetting that I could have you executed for treason?"

"You will soon learn Your Grace, that I will speak as my conscience wills me to. If you wish to humiliate anyone, let it be the apes who used a child for their schemes!"

"Some of them lie dead on this field, others will be given mercy. One hides in Burgundy, but I will see her punished though it must be done carefully. I will know my enemies Lord Mayford. Lord Mayford? Are you having a vision? Tell me! Tell me immediately!" The king shook the earl's shoulders roughly.

Morgan shook his head.

"Does this always happen when you see?"

"It does. One moment you can be talking to me, the next I will not hear you."

"What did you see?"

"This boy will not be the last pretender. More will come."

"And I will be ready for them!"

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

"Some historians claim that the Battle of Stoke was the end of the Wars of the Roses, but Henry was about to face the greatest threat to his reign in the guise of another boy and that boy was Perkin Warbeck."

"I wanted to believe this boy was another impostor. I needed to believe it but once I learned the truth, I was forced to make a difficult choice, a choice I now believe cost me my son! My house was cursed!" Henry VII sobbed and buried his face in his hands.

The camera was now on the lake where David's sisters-in-law Azkadellia and DG stood, Azkadellia playing the part of Elizabeth Woodville while DG played her daughter. DG held a piece of paper in her hand.

"We come to you, Lady Mother and we put into your depths this curse: Whoever took our firstborn son, you will take his firstborn son from him!" they chanted.

"And his grandsons too," Az added.

"And his firstborn boys all down his line.

And we will know the murderer by the workings of our curse," they recited conjured a fireball and held the paper over it then threw it into the lake. Behind them Elizabeth Woodville and her daughter burst into tears.

"I think we should stop for today," David said softly. Rumple nodded in agreement.

Beth saw tears in her husband's eyes when he approached her.

"David…"

"I couldn't see the truth," he sobbed into her shoulder. "I couldn't see the truth until it was too late!"

Beth wrapped her arms around him and held him closer, offering him what little comfort she could.


	7. England, Receive My Blood!

I have included some of Henry VII's actual words in this chapter, from Polydore Vergil's Historica Anglia. I will also be using dialogue and scenes from The White Princess and The Shadow of the Tower

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

It was decided that they would take the day off to give the spirits a chance to enjoy themselves in this strange new land they found themselves in and since it was such a warm day, everyone gathered by the lake for a picnic and to go swimming. Richard and Anne were taking a stroll by the lake when they spotted David rigging up a tire swing on one of the trees beside the lake.

"What are you doing?" Richard asked him.

"Watch and learn. Hey Jasper, c'mere and show Richard how we use this!"

Okay Daddy!" his oldest son ran and jumped onto the tire swing propelling himself with his feet. "One, two…THREE!" he yelled and jumped off into the water. "Come on Daddy, get in!"

"I'm comin!"

"Me come too!" DJ cried and shifted into his Baby Cookie form.

"DJ! Not without your floaties!" Beth yelled, chasing after him with her daughters at her heels while their other son Devon jumped off the swing and joined his father and brother in the lake. Cami, Elsa and Aurora formed a line at the tire swing while Beth caught their Baby Cookie and put arm bands on him.

"Mama, me don't need floaties. Me swim. Me swim!" the toddler insisted.

"Now don't you be giving me the Molkitude David Andrew Molk Junior or you won't be getting in at all."

"Me sorry Mama."

"That's better."

"Make way for the KING!" Henry VIII bellowed and ran down to the lake. He jumped in and drenched Richard, Anne, Beth and DJ.

"Holy crap!" Jasper and Devon exclaimed. "He wasn't even tryin' to do a cannonball!" Devon added.

"Well, since we're already wet…" Richard smirked and picked up Anne.

"Richard Plantagenet don't you….dare!" Anne screeched while he threw her in the lake and jumped in after, the couple splashing each other playfully.

"Hey Tudor! Get up off your arse and get in!" Richard yelled out to his rival sitting on the lawn with his wife.

"Oh, why not. Our son seems to be enjoying himself," Lizzie giggled. "Come on, Henry."

"What is this cannonball you speak of?" Henry VIII demanded of Devon.

"Umm, its where you run really fast and jump in but you gotta hold your knees while you do it and you can make a really big splash. I'll show ya."

"David, I don't know if that's a good idea." Beth whispered to her husband while Devon demonstrated the jump to the former king.

"Too late. INCOMING!" he shouted to everyone on the grass while Henry ran to the lake and jumped in, this time splashing his parents and nearly knocking them down along with everyone else within range.

"I'm doing it again!" Henry VIII cried.

"NO!" his parents yelled.

"Tudor, control your brat!" Richard laughed from the lake. His son had joined them, summoned by Rumple to enjoy a relaxing day with his parents in the mortal realm.

"See Mama. Me swim good!" DJ doggie paddled over to his mother and youngest sister Elsa. She gestured and a slide made of ice appeared in front of the lake, some of the other children forming a line to slide in while others jumped in using the tire swing.

"Thank God the lake's big enough for all of us," David joked.

Everyone was having such a wonderful time outdoors that it was decided that they would spend the rest of the night out there. Tents were set up for everyone to sleep in and once night fell the adults built a campfire and brought out all the equipment and ingredients to make mountain pies and roast hot dogs and marshmallows.

"Miss Margaret, do you wanna make a mountain pie?" Elsa asked Margaret Beaufort.

"What are they?"

"You can try mine." The child handed her a small piece of her pizza mountain pie. She bit into it and sighed with bliss.

"Oh this is very good. Yes, I'd like to learn how to make one."

"Okay." Elsa led her over to the table. She grabbed two pieces of bread and buttered them. "You gotta put lotsa butter on em or this spray here 'cause if you don't they're gonna stick in the pie maker and make a big mess." She flipped the pieces over. "Then you put some of this sauce on, some cheese and if you like pepperoni you can put that on, but I don't like pepperoni 'cause it's too hot. After you're done you put 'em together like this. Daddy! You got a pie thing ready yet?"

"Got one comin Elsa."

"Okay Miss Margaret wants a pizza pie."

Over at another table Jasper glanced down at Henry VIII's pie, frowning. "Ummm….you're not gonna be able to put one that big in there! It's gonna make a big mess!"

"Well don't you have a bigger maker?"

"Ummm…no."

"Well then find one!" he commanded.

"Henry! Are you giving that poor boy a rough time?"

He blanched. "No…no Mother."

"Liar liar pants on fire!" Devon taunted and blew a raspberry.

Henry VII rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Harry, must you always be so difficult?"

"Papa, I…"

"Never mind. Leave the boy alone and be satisfied with what you have."

"Good luck with that," Beth muttered.

Later after the children were put to bed the adults sat around the campfire having drinks and talking. David was pleased to see the spirits of his friends being civil to one another, at least for the time being. Tomorrow was going to be a difficult day for all for they would be discussing the mystery of Perkin Warbeck.

David found sleep difficult that night, his dreams haunted by the memories from his past, memories of events he wished he'd been able to prevent. They resumed filming after lunch the next day.

"Before our last break we were discussing the Battle of Stoke and the defeat of the first pretender, Lambert Simnel. The boy was pardoned by Henry VII and lived a long life but in 1490 he began to hear rumors of another pretender to the throne, a boy by the name of Perkin Warbeck who was not a pretender at all."

"No, but I couldn't prove it," he said once he was on camera.

"Why?"

"There was only one way I had to prove my claim and it was stolen from me while I was in Scotland in 1495."

"What was that way, Your Grace?"

"You should know Mister Strogoff. You're wearing it."

All eyes were suddenly on Rumple.

"W…What?!" he gasped. The others stared at him in shock.

"It's true," David confirmed, pointing to the moonstone ring on Rumplestiltskin's right ring finger. "That's the ring I gave Richard before Thomas Grey and I left him in Flanders. Now my question is: how did YOU get it?"

"I found it hidden among Papa's things after he abandoned me in Neverland. I didn't start wearing it until after I became Mr. Gold. Richard, do you remember anyone named McDermott in Scotland?"

The former prince's eyes narrowed to slits. "I do now. One of them was a former mistress of King James's burned at the stake for witchcraft. Her brothers were there trying to get him to pardon her."

"What were their names?" David demanded.

"Diarmid and Liam."

"Bastards! I should've known!"

"My grandfather stole your ring?" Rumple inquired.

"Of course he did!" David replied bitterly. "Because he knew it had magic and he wanted it. He stole it and seduced your grandmother because he knew she had magic too. They wanted revenge on King James, so he was going to try to use that ring to get it and when that didn't work, he seduced my daughter to try to steal what magic she had!"

"It seems my McDermott side of the family isn't called the bastard branch for nothing. We earned it," Rumple said bitterly and cleared his throat. "Lord Mayford, you said your bout with Ozian plague delayed your mission to Burgundy for a time and we know that Henry VII started hearing about Warbeck in 1490. Did you go to Burgundy then?"

"No. I was sent later. I was given another mission prior to that."

"And what was it?"

"Simnel's invasion proved what Henry already suspected. There were people in his own court working against him and he wasn't sure who to trust."

"One of those was Lizzie's mother," Henry VII added. "I may have been in exile most of my life, but I knew of the Woodville ambitions and when I learned the dowager queen was talking of retiring to an abbey, I was happy to oblige her, but I would also have her watched. I had my suspicions that she played some part in the Simnel rebellion and I would not have her plotting against me again."

Lizzie glared at her mother. "She expected me to convince Henry to step aside once Richard was old enough to come back and take the throne, but we heard nothing from him since 1483 and I believed he was dead."

"She didn't tell me they'd smuggled him out of England and when I started hearing rumors of this Perkin Warbeck, I knew she would go to see her mother, so I waited for her…"

London

1490

"Morgan, I must see my mother," Lizzie said to him one day.

He sighed. "You want to visit her without the King finding out. Do you realize how dangerous that is? Henry has spies everywhere."

"I'll risk it! I must know if she is plotting with my aunt. She claims she wanted to live out her remaining years in religious contemplation, but I do not believe her. She sent my brother away in hopes that he would return with an army and take the throne. You know this!"

"Aye, Your Grace, I do but we've heard nothing from him. I am convinced he's dead, and this Perkin Warbeck that arrived in Burgundy is another impostor groomed to make trouble for Henry."

"But will you escort me?"

"You know what I risk by doing this."

"I know but there's no one else I can trust to help me find out the truth. I'll help you all I can. Morgan, please. I must know the truth."

"All right Your Grace. We'll go."

They spoke very little during the ride to Bermondsey Abbey where the dowager queen had retired in the winter of 1487 and was treated with all the respect due a dowager queen yet Lizzie sensed she would not be satisfied until she reclaimed her place at court as the mother to a king. She was also claiming she was denied permission to write, a claim Lizzie was determined to prove false not just for her sake but also her son and husband.

"I will walk the gardens while you talk Your Grace," Morgan informed her upon their arrival.

"Are you well? What news from Burgundy? Does my aunt send help to us?" Lizzie asked her mother once they were alone.

"I hoped that you would tell me."

"You write to her. Surely you must know."

"I can get nothing in or out. For the first time in my life, I am bereft of letters and of news. Tell me, please. What of the Tudor court? Your marriage. Would you still push him from the throne?"

"You are truly not in touch with anyone?"

"Even the boy who used to take my messages for me has gone away."

"Margaret is convinced you are the cause of Henry's troubles. She would have you dead."

"Of course, she would."

"No, Mother, this is not an idle threat. This time he means it.

"He believes you planned for Teddy to be snatched and used against us."

"I know nothing of it."

"If I knew what my aunt had planned, then maybe I could talk him round. If you know anything, please, help me."

"I have no power anymore. I have these four walls and your sisters, and that is all. How did you get here? Was it Morgan?"

Lizzie nodded.

The former queen smiled. "Then he is still loyal to you."

"Mother, he risks much bringing me here. If you are plotting with my aunt, you put us all at risk. How many more lives must be taken before you accept that your cause is lost? We've heard nothing from Richard in years. He's dead Mother! Dead! And you must accept it as must I."

"I will NEVER accept it," Elizabeth Woodville snarled. "But I know nothing of your aunt's activities. Please, let's not pass the time discussing unpleasant things. Tell me of my grandchildren."

Lizzie forced a smile. "They are well. Arthur is so bright, and so will our Margaret be. Mother, please. I have been so happy in these past years. I have grown to love my husband and I would like us to have more children, but we cannot while he feels there are threats to his reign. He is king and my son will follow him. We would have peace!"

"And I would have my son back!" the former queen wept.

"And I would have my brother back Mother, but we've lost him. We must accept it."

The dowager queen burst into tears. Lizzie took her mother in her arms and held her, weeping not only for her long-lost brother but the loss of her own innocence. Her mother no longer trusted her and now the only person she had…her husband would see this visit as a betrayal.

Morgan felt a chill down his spine when he rowed to the dock to find the king awaiting them.

"Your Grace…."

"I will speak to my wife in private," he informed him coolly. "And then I will speak with you."

Morgan nodded, patting the satchel he carried with him, the travel storm token inside. It was never far from his grasp in case he needed to use it. He raced back to his quarters.

"Thomas, where is my daughter?"

"In the nursery with the prince and princess."

"Bring her here immediately."

"Is something wrong, Your Grace?"

"I must stop involving myself in royal affairs," Morgan mumbled and poured himself a goblet of wine while he waited for Thomas to return with his daughter. An hour later there was a knock on his door and to his dismay two of the King's guards stood in the hallway.

"You are to come with us, Lord Mayford."

He set his goblet down and rose to his feet. Thomas returned with Jane as they were walking down the hall, the child instantly terrified.

"Jane, don't…" her father pleaded.

"They're not taking you!" she growled.

"No!" he ordered firmly. "Thomas."

The squire nodded and reached out to take Jane's arm and was thrown back.

"What was that!?" the guards exclaimed.

"Jane, I said STOP!" her father shouted.

Jane approached the guards, her sapphire eyes now glowing red.

"Let him go," she ordered. They nodded and backed away. "You don't remember anything." They nodded again and continued walking down the hall.

Morgan stared at her in shock. "Jane, my God…what have you done?"

"No one's taking you away from me, Papa. I'll hurt them if they try. I can do it."

"You can't!" he cried. "Jane, you cannot use your powers to harm anyone. Do you understand me? You cannot harm anyone."

"Why?"

"Because….because it's bad poppet."

"But I love you, Papa!" she sobbed.

"I know and I love you, poppet. More than anything in this realm and I would give my life to keep you safe but promise me you will not harm anyone. Promise me!"

"I promise, Papa. I promise."

He took her in his arms and held her tightly. "I have to see the king. Stay with Thomas until I return." He kissed her cheek and set her on her feet. As he walked down the hall to the king's quarters, he couldn't help being terrified for himself and for his daughter. Perhaps it was time for him to return to his own land.

"Where are the guards I sent to fetch you?" Henry demanded.

"They have been sent away….by my daughter. Your Grace, I must ask for permission to leave court."

"Denied."

"Why?"

"You know why. We must learn more about this Perkin Warbeck and you are the only person who can get the information I need. Lizzie has told me everything…how you and Thomas Grey smuggled her brother out of England and a changeling was sent to the Tower in his place. If this boy is Richard, I have no doubt my mother-in-law and the Duchess will try to put him on my throne!"

"So, I am to go to Burgundy?"

"Not yet. I need to know for certain if the dowager queen and Duchess are communicating with each other. Elizabeth claims she does not have the means to write at Bermondsey but I know this is false because I have given her a generous pension."

"She may not want to confide in me, Your Grace."

"Then I expect you to regain her confidence."

"Or I'll be sent to the block?"

"I dare not risk it. Yes, I know what your daughter can do. It's been witnessed many times without your knowledge and their silence has been well paid for. You must have better control over her Morgan or there will be many calling for her to be sent to the fires, child or no."

"I am trying but I have also been told that she must be returned to our land to be properly trained."

"Do you have the means to travel to your own world?"

"I do but I must keep it hidden so that it never falls into the wrong hands."

"Morgan, she also told me of the curse." The king handed him a goblet of wine and poured one for himself. "That is why I must know if this boy is whom he claims to be. I will not have my son taken from me by a damned curse."

"I will find the answer, Your Grace. He may be able to fool the Duchess, but he cannot fool me. I have made certain of that."

"How?"

"When we left Richard in Flanders, I gave him a ring I brought with me from my land, a magical ring with protection spells woven into it by a fairy and I told him never to let that ring out of his sight. If this boy has it there is a good chance he is Richard."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He's another pretender the Duchess has found to make trouble for you, and you will deal with him."

After reassuring Jane that all was well Morgan gave Thomas strict orders to stay with her before he departed for Bermondsey on his own. The dowager queen would not reveal her secrets to her daughter, but he was hoping she still trusted him enough to reveal them to him.

Bermondsey Abbey

London, 1490

"I've been expecting you Lord Mayford," the dowager queen greeted when he met with her in the gardens.

"Have you?"

"Lizzie's told me you brought her to see me."

"She fears for your safety, Your Grace. The King believes you are involved in plots to remove him from the throne and so does Lady Margaret."

Elizabeth scoffed. "Henry does as she bids."

"No, Your Grace. Though he does listen to her council he acts on his own accord. You've forgotten he has not seen his mother most of his life. Jasper Tudor raised him. He's fought hard to become king and will not surrender easily."

"He will not have a choice. Morgan, he has returned. My Richard has returned!"

"How do you know this? You told the queen you are unable to write."

The former queen sighed. "I cannot trust my daughter Morgan. They've taken her from me and made her one of them."

"And yet you still trust me."

"You have always been loyal to York, Morgan. You know my son is the rightful heir."

"Henry will not step aside without a fight," he reminded her. "Hasn't there been enough bloodshed in both houses. You wed Lizzie to Henry so that we could have peace and she has given him an heir to the throne. Would you deny Arthur his chance to be king?"

"Yes! Because MY sons were denied THEIR right to be king!" the former queen snarled.

"How do you know this boy is not a fraud?"

"She believes he is Richard and I believe her."

"Or you want to believe her."

"Does it matter?"

"It should. If this boy is a fraud, he should not be allowed to destroy the prince's good name," Morgan said angrily. "I would not allow anyone to destroy my Jane's good name."

"If he is my son, he should reclaim his birthright."

"He lost it!" Morgan argued. "Elizabeth, please let it go! The only way the boy can be safe is to stay where he is and not come against Tudor. He steps one foot on this soil and the king will lock him away like he's locked Teddy away or he will be executed. End the bloodshed now."

"He's safe in Burgundy and that's where he'll stay."

Morgan returned to London, unconvinced that the former queen would cease her treasonous plots against the king. He knew he should go to Burgundy to learn the truth for himself, but the Duchess was not a foolish woman and would probably have him killed on sight.

He made more visits to the dowager queen, alone or escorting the Queen. The dowager queen was excited that the queen had given birth to a second son named Henry and was expecting a fourth child.

"You should consider remarriage Morgan. Jane needs a sibling or to be betrothed."

Morgan laughed. "We will be carrying on this debate in our dotage, will we not?"

"I only wish for your happiness." She coughed. Morgan frowned, seeing droplets of red on her handkerchief.

"How long have you been unwell, Your Grace?"

"Long enough to know that the time is coming when I will be reunited with Edward and the children we've lost." She reached for his hand, her eyes meeting his. "You must make me a promise old friend. Promise me that you will look after Lizzie…and find out if this boy in Burgundy is my son."

"I will do my best, Your Grace," he reassured her.

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

"Our mistake was that we were too hasty with Lambert Simnel. Our second invasion into England would have be planned more carefully," the Duchess was saying into the camera. "We still had strong support for York in England and those people were willing to smuggle Elizabeth's and my messages under the noses of the King's spies." She glanced over at David. "I knew of the Earl of Mayford of course. Elizabeth wanted him on our side but convincing him was not going to be easy. We were certain Richard could do that."

"I could…until I arrived in Scotland in 1495," the former Duke admitted.

"Perkin Warbeck first arrived in England in 1495," Rumple narrated.

"In the years prior to his invasion I'd become convinced that Perkin was Richard because he wrote to me himself," David explained.

"What did he say that convinced you?"

"I told him I had the ring and it had protected me all the years I was in exile and I had to give him certain assurances."

"What were those, Your Grace?"

"He had to give me his word that he would allow me to keep Jane's inheritance and that no harm would come to Lizzie and her sons. He wrote me telling me that he was planning to come to England, but he told me he would meet me in Grafton," David replied.

"It was a ruse. We were certain Henry was reading Morgan's letters, so we gave him a false location and arrived in Kent instead."

"I'd given him a force of 1500 men, mercenaries. We believed that would be enough for his initial landing and he would gain support from the rest of England along the way," added the Duchess.

"We didn't expect Henry to have strong support there and those supporters, mostly locals."

"And I died before I could see my son again," the dowager queen wept.

"A recent theory is that you died of the plague. Was that true, Your Grace?" Rumple asked Elizabeth Woodville. She nodded.

"After the failed invasion in Kent, you sailed to Ireland and attempted to seize Waterford, correct Your Grace?" he asked the young duke.

Henry VII grinned. "Another failure. That's why I gave the city it's motto: Urbs Intacta Manet Waterfordia."

"Waterford remains the untaken city," Rumple translated.

"I was determined to prove him a fraud, so I sent Morgan to Burgundy to learn the truth for himself unaware that Warbeck was already in Scotland trying to conjure up support there. I would've sent Morgan there, but Jane had fallen ill at court and was asking for him to come home." Henry VII explained.

Eltham Palace

Summer, 1495

Morgan stood outside his daughter's room fighting back tears as he realized how close he'd come to losing her forever. She'd fallen ill with the Ozian plague and had been quarantined from the rest of the court until she recovered. The royal children missed their playmate terribly, but she was fortunate to survive. Many children who contracted the sweat or the Ozian plague did not.

"She is recovering well," Lizzie reassured him.

"I should have stayed," he murmured.

"Morgan, you can't be with her every moment of the day."

"I know but I don't what I would do if I lost her."

"I feel the same now that I am a mother. Morgan, we must find out whether this boy is my brother. I know you believe he is from his letters, but I must see him for myself. Only then will I know whether he speaks the truth."

"Right now, he's in Scotland trying to get James' support. I'm assuming you and Henry are still trying to forge an alliance with Spain?"

"With a marriage between Arthur and the Infanta Catalina. She is descended from John of Gaunt through his wives Blanche of Lancaster and Constance of Castille. It will be a good match."

Morgan worried what Perkin Warbeck's presence would mean for the alliance. He doubted the Spanish would send their daughter to England unless Henry's reign was secure. They would have to work harder to ensure that it was.

Jane was fully recovered a month later and soon word reached the English court that Warbeck had secured his alliance with Scotland through his marriage to Lady Catherine Gordon, the daughter of the second Earl of Huntly.

"This may not be that great a cause for alarm," Morgan said one afternoon in council.

"Why not?" Margaret Beaufort demanded.

"Huntly is a minor noble. If he believed the boy was truly Prince Richard, he would've married him to a lady of higher rank."

"Yet the marriage was celebrated with a tournament and that…that…boy dared to wear the royal colors. They're even calling themselves the Duke and Duchess of York."

"Henry is Duke of York," Lizzie said angrily. "My brother is dead. This boy is another impostor my aunt has found to make trouble for us."

"He bears a striking resemblance to your late father according to the Duchess."

"My father had a few illegitimate children," Lizzie reminded them. "I've never met them, but I know they exist. He also could be one of my uncle's illegitimate children or even one of my aunt's."

"Now where would she get an insane idea like that!" King Richard asked angrily when he appeared in the council room.

You do have two illegitimate children, Morgan reminded him.

"And my son is your king's prisoner. How long will it be before his head's on the block?"

"Richard only had two children," Morgan said aloud. "You forget I was his squire for years. He took his only mistress before he was married to Anne. It's more likely that this boy could be one of Edward's sons, but his illegitimacy prohibits him from taking the throne in his own right. Your Grace, is Ramsay still loyal?"

The King nodded. John Ramsay, Lord Bothwell was a former Scots exile that had recently returned to Scotland but still acted as a spy for Henry. He was the king's eyes and ears in James' court. The King set a parchment on the table. "The boy and James will be coming soon, and we must be ready."

Fall, 1496 – Spring, 1497

"This had better work," Morgan mumbled from his horse. He and the Earl of Westmoreland, Ralph Neville rode at the head of a small force of men that would attack King James and Perkin Warbeck's center on both sides, an idea suggested by Henry's spy Ramsey. The pretender himself was to be taken alive, the king wanted no repeats of the fiasco with the Earl of Lincoln. Morgan wished to capture the boy himself and at last have an answer to the question he had for years, whether this boy was indeed the prince he'd smuggled out of England.

"It will, Lord Mayford. We'll capture that pretender and he'll lose his head on the block when the king gets what he wants out of him." Neville assured him as they rode toward Newcastle. They arrived a few days later, furious to discover that the boy had escaped again but it seemed that the Scots wanted rid of him. By the time Morgan returned to court the Spanish ambassador had already arrived with instructions to negotiate a treaty between England and Scotland.

"And my daughter Margaret will marry James."

"That will bring those damned Stewarts into the line of succession!" one of the council members protested.

"What then? Should anything of the kind happen and God avert the omen, I foresee that our realm would suffer no harm, since England would not be absorbed by Scotland, but rather Scotland by England, being the noblest head of the entire island, since there is always less glory and honor in being joined to that which is far the greater, just as Normandy once came under the rule and power of our ancestors the English."

"It's a bold plan, Your Grace but it just might work. James is already trying to rid himself of the pretender," Morgan said.

"We still need to get that boy before he stirs up more trouble," Margaret Beaufort said angrily.

"Without his Scots ally what trouble can he cause Mother?" Henry asked him. "Still, we must have a force ready to defend the borders in case he tries again. I will have a new tax passed in Parliament. The people desire peace as I do. It will be a small price to pay."

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

"We come now to the Spring of 1497," Rumple narrated. "Taxes were raised in England to finance an army to defend the borders. The king was convinced the people would be willing to pay them, but this was not the attitude held by the people in Cornwall."

"The Cornish were exempt from taxes of 10ths and 15ths of their income since Edward I. My new tax overturned that law," Henry VII added. "I began to hear news of a rebellion, but I was shocked by how large it was."

"Henry ordered me to stay with the Queen and the children in the Tower," David said.

"It was one of the most terrifying moments of my life," Henry VIII recalled. "Mother was desperate for news of the royal army."

"There was panic in the streets. People were arming themselves and taking up positions at the walls and gates," Lizzie added, shivering at the memory.

The Tower of London

June, 1497

"Every man to arms, to arms!" men cried in the streets outside.

"Lord Mayford, when is Papa coming home?" Harry, the king's youngest son asked fearfully. Lizzie sat at the table, barely able to concentrate on her embroidery while Jane and Arthur sat with Margaret and the Queen's youngest child, Mary. She couldn't help recalling the terrifying attack in 1471 when she was only four, lodged in the Tower with her mother and siblings. The Tower was not impregnable, its walls had been breached in the reign of Richard II, the Archbishop of Canterbury and Lord Treasurer dragged out and executed.

"He will come home soon," Morgan reassured the child.

Lizzie set her project aside and began to pace the floors nervously after the children drifted off to sleep.

"Your Grace, please sit down. I'm certain we will hear something soon."

"Have you Seen anything?" she whispered frantically.

"I'm afraid not."

"Henry must put this rebellion down. He must!" she cried. "You know once that boy hears of this, he will try to come for my lord's crown again!"

"The people are marching unarmed. The boy will come with a fully armed force…if he can raise one."

Lizzie knelt, clutching her rosary beads to her chest. "Lord, in your mercy, keep my husband safe! Pray with me, Morgan."

"I can protect him," Jane spoke up. "Please, Your Grace. Let me protect our king. I know how."

"Jane, you mustn't…" Morgan protested.

"Do what must be done Jane," the Queen commanded. "I will assist you if I can."

The girl rose from her bed. "I will need something that belongs to him Your Grace."

"Jane, what are you going to do?" her father demanded.

"I am going to use one of Her Grace, the Queen's Mother's spells." Jane gestured and a book appeared in her hands. She flipped through pages and held it out to the Queen.

"This is a spell my mother has cast before." Lizzie walked over to one of the trunks and opened it, holding a ring in her hand. She placed it Jane's palm and closed her own hand over it. "We will cast it together."

The Queen and the child knelt on the floor, their hands clasped as they began to chant; Jane in Ozian, the Queen in English. While they chanted an image flashed before Morgan's eyes, the king returning to London triumphant, the leaders of the rebellion awaiting their day on the block.

"The king will come home safe Your Grace," Morgan reassured her. Lizzie wept with joy and kissed Jane's cheeks and embraced her old friend.

"Lord be praised!" she sobbed. "Oh, let him come home soon!"

The King returned to London a few days later, the leaders of the rebellion in custody, awaiting beheading or hanging at Tyburn. The Cornish rebellion was over, yet Henry still did not feel secure nor would he until the boy was in his hands.

Taunton

October, 1497

"Your Majesty, I confess to all the many grievous injuries I have done you and throw myself upon your most gracious mercy," the boy pleaded. Morgan stared at the boy, barely about to conceal his shock. The boy did resemble the late King Edward though a quick glance to his hands left him with lingering doubts. He'd been summoned to Taunton as soon as the boy was in the King's custody to confirm his identity or dispute it.

The ring. He doesn't have the ring! He is an impostor.

"Yet can you deny the resemblance, Morgan?" Morgan heard King Richard ask when he appeared at his side.

He could be one of his illegitimate children.

"You have to be certain."

"Stand up! We have heard that you call yourself Richard Duke of York. In this place are some who were companions of that lord when he was young. Look and see if you can recognize any of them." Henry commanded.

"I know none of them."

"You have not looked!"

"There's no need, Your Majesty."

"What have you to say?"

"I don't know, Your Majesty."

"Who are you? Are you the Duke of York?"

"No."

"No. Where were you born?"

"I was born in Tournai in Flanders."

"And who were your father and your mother? My father was Johan Warbeck and my mother was Katherine de Faro."

"And you are?"

"I am Perkin Warbeck, their son."

"And what has been your life?"

"I was in service with a merchant from Brittany called Pregent Meno, and he took me to Ireland, to Cork, to sell his clothes. And there they told me I was the son of the Duke of Clarence. And I swore I was not. Then they told me I was King Richard's bastard son and I said, "No!" Then they said they would make me King of England and call me the Duke of York, King Edward's son. And I agreed. And it was not so. It was a lie from the beginning. You here too? Then everybody knows, no?" Warbeck asked his wife.

"Warbeck! You shall have your life, under certain conditions."

"As Your Majesty commands."

"You will live apart from your wife. She will live in safety and honor under the Queen's protection. You will live under mine. Lord Daubenay?"

"Your Majesty."

"Go with Warbeck and his wife, let them talk together. Do not intrude on them. But do not leave them alone. Is it quite certain that she is not with child?"

"Quite."

"Then let her remain so. This kingdom spawns enough pretenders without them spawning for themselves."

"And Devon…

"Your Majesty."

"The Cornishmen do not seem to have appreciated the greatness of our mercy. We must make it greater. Double the fines on all rebels and release them and see that no farthing is remitted."

"Your Majesty. Will Your Majesty enter London in triumph over Warbeck?"

"No, it is no triumph to have defeated a man like that. He defeated himself." Henry rose from his chair and left the hall, motioning for Morgan to follow him. Once they were alone in his quarters Henry turned to the elder Earl.

"Did he speak the truth or lie?"

"He does bear a close resemblance to King Edward. That is undeniable," Morgan replied.

"And yet I sense hesitation on your part to proclaim him the Duke of York. Why, my lord Earl?"

"He doesn't have the ring. With Your Grace's permission I'd like to question the boy myself."

"But not before he makes his confession for all to hear. I would have them see him for the impostor that he is."

"Grievously and wickedly have I sinned. I have lied and said false things, claiming to be Richard, Duke of York, second son of King Edward IV. Let it now be known that my name is Perkin Warbeck, son of Johan Warbeck, controller of the town of Tournai. Most humbly I beg forgiveness and mercy for my many offenses."

"His story hasn't changed," Morgan remarked to Thomas while they witnessed one of many of the boy's confessions in various cities throughout England. His written confession was also nailed to churches throughout England.

"You still haven't questioned him?"

"I cannot until the king feels he's been completely discredited in eyes of the people."

"Do you believe him?"

Morgan sighed. "I don't know. He doesn't have the ring but that is not proof that he is an impostor. His resemblance to the Queen's father is unquestionable. If he is not Richard, then he is one of Edward's illegitimate offspring. I will question him after the new year."

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

The camera was now on Richard, former Duke of York.

"I lied to save my life," he admitted. "But my lies cost me so much, the highest price the woman I loved." His eyes were filled with tears as he glanced over at his wife. "And I did love you Catherine, but you would not be safe if I admitted my true identity."

"She would have," Henry VII disputed. "And you were treated well in my wife's household madam."

"I was," Lady Gordon confessed.

"Treated so well that I feared she would use this new friendship with my son to plot against him," Margaret Beaufort spoke up. "She needed to sever her ties with Warbeck if she wanted to continue living in comfort."

Lizzie scowled. "It's been suggested in some contemporary literature that the King and the lady were lovers. My husband honored our marriage vows. The Lady was merely a friend and confidant to him when I died. She is someone I would have approved of if His Grace remarried once his period of mourning ended."

"Lord Mayford you told us earlier that you did learn the truth eventually but that it had come too late," Rumple reminded David. "Why?"

"I had every intention of questioning him after the new year until the fire."

"You're speaking of the fire that destroyed most of Richmond Palace?"

"It was the Palace of Sheen then. Henry renamed it Richmond after it was reconstructed."

"The fire started in the King's private chambers. To this day no one knows how or why it started."

"It was the second most frightening memory of my childhood," Henry VIII murmured.

Sheen Palace

Christmas, 1497

There was much to celebrate now that the boy had confessed and was in custody and the Queen and Morgan enjoyed spending the holiday at Sheen reminiscing of Christmases past.

"Have you seen the boy yet Morgan?"

"Have you?" Morgan inquired of the queen. She shook her head.

"I have no desire to see him," she said firmly. "He has made his confession and must now seek forgiveness from God."

"Your Grace, if there is the slightest chance…"

"My brother is dead. The boy is one of my father's bastards groomed by my aunt to make trouble for us. Come, my lord earl. Dance, be merry and forget the pretender. I….oh would you look at that!"

The pair turned their heads to see a beaming six-year-old Harry Tudor dancing with Jane.

"Were my son not being groomed for a life in the church I would think he would make a suitable match for your Jane."

"It would be a scandal Your Grace. My Jane is older."

"As was my mother, my lord earl but my parents loved each other deeply. If the king wishes him not to go to the church would you be opposed to a betrothal?"

"I would not."

They watched the pair dancing, smiling. Harry dazzled the court with his charm and wit while his elder brother was more subdued. Arthur observed the festivities in silence, sipping his drink slowly. When the music ended young Harry approached them, a wide grin on his handsome young face.

"Lord Mayford, when I grow up, I want to marry Jane."

"What was that you just said, my lord Harry?" the king chuckled.

"I said," the prince huffed, "that I want to marry Lady Jane!"

"You can't marry me. You're going to be Archbishop of Canterbury."

"Well maybe I don't wanna be Archbishop. Don't you wanna be a royal duchess, Jane?"

"Harry!" His sister rolled her eyes.

"You're just jealous cause you're just gonna be Queen of Scotland."

"That is still a higher rank than yours my lord Duke."

"Harry!" the king scolded. "Don't be insolent."

"Yes, I am going to be Queen and you will address me as Your Grace, my lord duke!" Margaret taunted.

"Margaret!" Lizzie cautioned. "Enough. Both of you."

A terrified scream echoed through the corridors and Thomas raced into the grand hall. "F…Fire! Your Graces…" he panted.

"Thomas? What's wrong?" Morgan demanded. "Where is the fire?"

"My lord we must leave now! The palace is ablaze!" he exclaimed.

"My God!" Margaret Beaufort crossed herself.

"Everyone out! NOW!" Henry shouted. His youngest children were scooped up by their nursemaids. People screamed and started running out of the grand hall.

"Papa, I can stop the fire! Let me stop it!" Jane pleaded.

"Jane, we can't risk it. You may not be able to control it. Take my hand!" Morgan commanded his daughter. They ran through the corridors, the children crying in terror as the walls and ceilings began to collapse behind them. Henry gently pushed his wife in front of him when he noticed one of the corridors starting to give way, fearful she would fall through.

"Henry! HENRY!"

He could feel the floor starting to give out beneath him and jumped free before it split open and ran into the courtyard.

"Did everyone get out? Did everyone get out?" he asked.

"Yes, Your Grace."

"Henry," Lizzie wept and threw her arms around him, weeping not only for joy that he and their children were safe but also for the loss of one of the last remnants of the Princess of York, her beloved childhood home.

"Why didn't you let me stop it, Papa? Why?" Jane asked angrily. "I could have."

"We don't know that poppet. From now on you are not to use magic until you return to my world."

She groaned. "Yes, Papa."

When she was certain no one was looking she approached the burning palace and held out her hand. A small ball of flame began to burn in her palm.

"I can control it Papa."

She waved her other hand and the flame vanished, unaware that she was being observed. The Duke of York stood behind her, glaring.

"You're a witch," Prince Harry said accusingly.

"Yes…but you won't remember it Harry." She pressed her palm against his forehead. He blinked his eyes several times.

"Jane, how'd the palace catch on fire?"

"I don't know Harry."

"Mama's gonna be so upset. She loves it here."

"I know but the King will rebuild it."

"See if I were king, I'd make sure my palaces didn't burn."

"But you won't be king Harry. Arthur will be king."

"Then he needs to make sure his palaces don't burn and when I marry you, I'm gonna make sure we live in a palace that doesn't burn."

Jane shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder about you, Harry."

"Why? Because I want to marry you?"

"No, I just wonder. That's all."

He shook his head and walked away.

"We will rebuild Lizzie," the king reassured his wife.

"Praise God our children are safe," she sniffled.

It had taken three hours with servants in a bucket line to douse the flames and most of the wooden buildings had been destroyed along with many of the tapestries that dated back to the reign of Richard II, some of the crown jewels, the royal wardrobe and most of the cloth of gold.

"I will have it rebuilt in stone and it will be named Richmond," Henry confided to Morgan one afternoon.

"The seat of Richmond is in Yorkshire," Morgan reminded him.

"It will still be Richmond, my lord earl."

Morgan sighed. "Jane wanted to put out the fire herself, but I didn't dare risk it. Perhaps I should have. You barely escaped it Your Grace."

"Henry and Mary dream of it often and awaken terrified or so their nannies tell me. Lizzie sometimes awakens terrified that I have been trapped inside. A terrifying night indeed, my lord earl."

"Have you learned how the fire was started?"

"No but I will." His eyes narrowed to slits. "I suspect the boy may be involved and I will have my spies seek the truth of the matter."

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

"I had planned to escape that night after the fire broke out," the former Duke of York admitted.

"So, you admit you were responsible!" Henry VII spat.

"I didn't start the fire, but I paid handsomely for it to be done."

"Where did you get the money, Your Grace?" David asked.

"I still had some who knew the truth and were willing to help me."

"You….you almost had my family killed in that damned fire!" Lizzie raged.

"I was doing what I had to do to escape and you know it!"

"But you did escape," David reminded him. " In June of 1498 And Ralph Wulford was stirring up trouble in Kent claiming to be Teddy but Henry had you both captured."

The Duke lowered his head. "Then I knew it was only a matter of time before he had me executed."

"I wanted to find out more about the boy before I saw him, so I started retracing his movements throughout Europe," David explained. "There was a boy named Perkin Warbeck born in Tournai around same time as the Duke of York but no one I talked to remembered much about him. From there I went to the Netherlands. I hated being away from Jane so much but it was during these travels that I learned she'd mastered another one of her powers….the ability to teleport."

Cork, Ireland

Spring, 1499

It had been a long and exhausting day, but Morgan had gotten the answers he sought. After speaking to several of the locals he learned that the boy had begun to call himself the Duke of York when he was seventeen at the insistence of the Yorkists in the town seeking revenge against King Henry.

He crawled into bed, wanting nothing more than a good night's sleep, startled when he saw a cloud of blue smoke in the room.

"Papa!" Jane cried and ran into his arms.

"Jane! Wh…How did you get here?"

"I started thinking about how I could move without walking and one day I did it! All I have to do is think about where I want to be, and I can do it."

"Poppet, what did I tell you about using magic?"

She lowered her head shamefully. "That I was not permitted to do it…but Papa…I missed you so much!"

"And you've terrified Thomas and your nanny. They are probably searching Mayford for you and before you ask, no you are not to try to return on your own. I will send a message to Thomas that you are with me and safe."

"Where will we go next, Papa?"

"We will return to England. I have all the information I need on this boy."

"Is he a pretender, Papa."

"He is, poppet."

"But what did they do with the real boy?"

"I fear he may be dead, Jane."

"Will you tell the king?"

"I must…and the Queen. This boy cannot continue to claim he is the Duke when the Duke has gone to be with the Lord. Now you must get some rest."

"Papa, what are you doing?" she asked while he made himself a bed on the floor. She gestured and another bed appeared in the room beside hers.

"Jane…"

"You don't have to give up your bed for me. You can have one of your own now."

"Jane, you must be careful. If anyone saw you…"

"I know. They would try to burn me but I won't let them Papa."

"I want you to honor your promise to me that you will not use magic unless I ask you to."

"I will, Papa." She vowed.

They departed for England the following day.

England

Fall, 1499

"…Build our colleges, Mother, found our professorships, but leave England to me."

"I lay the foundations for the minds of our people. You should be laying the foundations for their peace. You'll have none. There will be no peace in this country while there are Yorkist pretenders, and there will be pretenders as long as you keep Warwick alive. Kill him and you kill rebellion." Margaret Beaufort insisted.

"Would you have me charge him with his birthright?" the King demanded.

"Why not? Charges. Legality."

"He has done no wrong."

"The men you fought, and who died for Richard at Bosworth, they'd done no wrong, either."

"Then, we were at war."

"You are still at war."

"Plan a legal state. Make laws if you will and enforce them with the people. But you yourself cannot be committed to peacetime laws until you have removed every trace of Plantagenet stock from the face of the earth. You are now King. Make it safe and certain that Arthur will be King after you."

"He will be, madam, and peacefully."

"While Warwick lives?"

"You should have mothered a Plantagenet. The Tudor dynasty will not be founded on murder."

"Then there will be no dynasty."

"Don't try and make me a Richard."

"I wouldn't wish that, my son. Richard made mistakes. And the greatest mistake cost him the crown. He allowed you to live."

Ralph Wulford was another in the growing list of pretenders, claiming to be the imprisoned Earl of Warwick only he was not shown the same leniency as the young Lambert Simnel.

It was an exhausted King that awaited the Earl of Mayford in his chambers after Wulford's execution was carried out.

"The Spanish ambassador has informed me they will not send their daughter to us unless I remove the Earl of Warwick and Perkin Warbeck. I will not have my dynasty founded on murder!"

"Teddy is harmless."

"Yet his name is power, my lord. We have had two try to claim the throne in his name. How many more will come? And we still have not established the identity of Warbeck. Is he my wife's brother?"

"No, Your Grace, he is not. He is Perkin Warbeck from Tournai. The Yorkists in Ireland and Burgundy schooled him into claiming to be the Duke of York to threaten your reign."

"Then I should execute him?"

"He's been quiet in the Tower, has he not?"

"For now. Have you told the Queen what you've learned?"

"I'll do that now. Jane is with the children at Eltham."

"Morgan, dear Morgan, welcome home!" Lizzie greeted upon his arrival at Eltham Palace.

"Your Grace," He bowed then rose to kiss her hand, her appearance concerning him greatly. The years of worry and anxiety had begun to age her as rapidly as it had the king, yet she was still a very beautiful woman.

She returned to her seat to continue repairing one of her gowns. Though she did receive a generous allowance from the King, the Queen lived as frugally as possible, often having her gowns and shoes repaired rather than purchase new ones.

"You have been away so long I began to worry you would never return to court."

"I had some urgent matters to attend to, Your Grace."

"Oh?"

"Your Grace, I have been making inquiries into the identity of the boy."

Lizzie groaned. "He's made his confession. That should silence everyone."

"it should but we both know it hasn't. The boy's story has a ring of truth to it. There was a boy named Perkin Warbeck born in Tournai. Perhaps your mother knew him and that's how your brother was given his name."

"She never told me. What else did you learn?"

"The plot to make him Duke of York was hatched in Ireland and some suspect he is the illegitimate offspring of your father or the Duchess. He may well be one or the other. He resembles your father."

"Should I see him Morgan?"

"Yes. For your own peace of mind."

She looked away, tears in her eyes. "I fear…I fear that if I see him, I will believe his lies and convince myself he is my brother. No. I have heard all I need to hear, and I do not wish to see him. My brother is dead. I'll hear no more of it."

Though part of him was convinced the matter was closed, another part couldn't help thinking there was more to Warbeck's story than he'd been willing to tell. Wanting to lay the matter to rest once and for all, Morgan arranged to visit the boy in the Tower, stunned to discover that he was jailed in a cell below the one Teddy occupied.

"Morgan," Warbeck greeted once they were alone in the cell.

"You know who I am?" Morgan asked skeptically.

"You've changed little since I last saw you but that can only because you don't age as we do, do you my lord earl?"

"And…why wouldn't I? I live a Spartan life."

"We both know that's not the reason. You're not from this land."

"Where am I from?" he demanded.

"I don't remember the name but you came here through something you call a portal….right after Father defeated Margaret of Anjou's army at Tewksbury."

"Lies. You were told these things by someone else."

Warbeck shook his head. "Your secrets are only known to a few my lord earl, my sister one of them." He held up his hand. "The last day you saw me you gave me a ring…a ring you brought with you from this other land that was enchanted by a fairy. You told me to never take it off."

"Then why isn't it on your finger now?"

"It was stolen from me….in Scotland before I married Catherine. The people I think have it are witches, my lord earl. Beware of them."

"Why have you lied all this time?"

"I had to protect Catherine. She would be safer if she were the bride of a pretender than the Duke of York. You believe me then?"

"I want to. But Richard could've told you or someone close to you these things before he died. I've made diligent inquiries into your past."

"Then let your sight guide you. Mother and my lady grandmother knew you see things that others don't."

"I can't make these visions appear. They come when they are meant to."

He stared at the boy again and suddenly a vision flashed before his eyes.

"Now do you see, Morgan."

"Richard," he whispered.

"You cannot tell the king the truth. It will make no difference. I've heard the rumors. He can only have the Spanish alliance if Teddy and I are gone and he will get rid of us."

"Then you must escape! I cannot help you to escape."

"You must protect your daughter. I understand. I will find a way my lord earl. I did not survive this long by being foolish. We will leave this tower and go far beyond Henry's reach. Have no fear old friend."

"I must tell the Queen."

"No, you must not! My sister has suffered much in these last few years…the loss of her child….the fire at Sheen. I will not add to her suffering. Better she go on believing I am dead. Promise me you will not tell her."

"I will not but if you are caught and killed…."

"Mother's curse will fall on Lizzie's sons. I will make certain it does not happen. Go back to your daughter and try not to worry."

Morgan feared he would never stop worrying.

London

November, 1499

"No, Oxford, I will have none other than the pretender and the Earl of Warwick brought to trial," the King informed the Earl of Oxford when he brought him the news of a plot between Perkin Warbeck and the Earl of Warwick to escape the Tower.

"I appoint you Lord High Steward that you may preside over the trial. If you find them guilty, you will condemn them both. But no-one else is to be arrested other than those two. Do you understand?"

"But there were those only too eager to help them."

"None, other than those two."

"That is impossible. Master Digby thought it would please Your Majesty to rid the Tower of Yorkist sympathizers. The orders for the arrests were given this morning."

Henry leaned back in his chair. Placing the two men in proximity to each other had produced the results he'd expected. Warbeck was clever, he'd give him that, but his luck had run out and now both would die. It would satisfy the Spanish, but it would not ease his own guilty conscience.

"I, Perkin Warbeck, the humble son of a boatman from Tournai, confess to a plot to kill the king and the royal family. I did falsely impersonate the dead King Richard, Duke of York, and I confess my crimes freely," the spectators heard the man on the scaffold recite before the rope was pulled tight.

"Our ruse will not fool everyone," Lizzie confessed to Morgan that evening. "Once the Spanish learn of it, they will refuse the match." She burst into tears. "And my brother will die!"

"You were not able to change the king's mind?"

"Richard is to be executed with Teddy privately," she sobbed. "Dear sweet Teddy! Oh, how will I be able to look Maggie in the face knowing that my husband has ordered her brother's death!"

"He knows what will happen if they die. He knows!"

"He believes we will avoid my mother's curse. I fear we will not. I have to go. I have to see my brother."

"Your Grace, you cannot go and watch your brother die!"

"I must!" she wept.

Richard and Teddy were woken early the following morning and taken out to the scaffold. A weeping Lizzie stood on the ground, draped in a black velvet cloak sobbing as her brother attempted to comfort his terrified cousin in his final moments. She turned her head as the axe descended.

"Did you look away, Lizzie? Did you close your eyes? You closed your eyes, didn't you?"

"Yes," she croaked.

"Only one coffin. So I am to disappear. As if I had never been," Richard murmured.

"Richard, I am so sorry," Morgan moaned.

"You did your best, old friend. Be a comfort to my sister. She will need you now." He glanced over at the executioner now holding a sword instead of the axe. "A royal execution. Henry grants me this dignity at least. Don't close your eyes. Because you know what you do this day. You know what you do. So witness it, Lizzie."

He knelt on the scaffold and stretched out his arms.

"England receive my blood!" he shouted.

Lizzie screamed and sank to her knees. Morgan knelt beside her and embraced her, both weeping for the boy they'd both loved and lost.


	8. Is Our House Accursed?

My interpretations of Henry VIII and his first three wives will be based on 1970's The Six Wives of Henry VIII, The Shadow of the Tower and the Showtime series The Tudors and will also include scenes and dialogue from all series. Nothing from The Spanish Princess will be used and I apologize in advance for any mistakes in Spanish for it has been some time since I've written and spoken it.

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Spring, 2018

Rumple expected most of the spirits to leave after they'd finished the segment on Perkin Warbeck's death, David didn't. Though it was painful for them to recall painful memories of past events, they were having a splendid time interacting with the living, especially David's children. Margaret Beaufort made a new friend in little Elsa who was teaching her some of the crafting projects she made with her mother and sisters. The former Countess of Richmond and Derby had also been given an animated stuffed bear dressed in a nun's habit that spoke in her voice by Storybrooke Four's Adriana Bordreaux Gold, daughter of that realm's Rumplestiltskin.

"It's good that the kids are distracting them for a while," Beth whispered. "This next segment's going to be difficult for Lizzie and Henry VII."

"Rumple's going to summon Arthur and Catherine now. Harry is going to want to run for cover when they arrive," David mumbled. "I never told you this, but I was against Harry marrying her in the beginning."

Beth was stunned. "Why?"

"I'd been at court since Harry was born and knew what he was like. He thrived on being the center of attention and Henry and Elizabeth spoiled him. Everything he wanted, he got. Catherine was more practical, like Arthur. I honestly believe Arthur would have been a good king. Harry tried, he did try in the early years but it was his ego that did him in."

"Everyone blamed Anne, even me, but you kept telling me it wasn't all her fault. I should've listened to you."

"Yes, you should have," said a voice that startled them. They spun around and found Anne Boleyn, the former Queen of England herself standing before them. She was dressed in the grey gown and white cap she'd worn on the day of her execution in 1536. "Hello David…Beth."

The pair bowed to the former queen. "It's nice to see you again Anne," David murmured. She was one of many of the couple's friends from the past that made Mayford Manor her home when she wasn't doing the occasional haunting at the Tower.

"I was going to stay at the Tower this week until I felt your great-grandson's summoning." She laughed. "I do love frightening the guards wandering about carrying my head. I've even gotten Catherine to do it to," she added, referring to her cousin and Henry VIII's fifth queen, Catherine Howard. She watched out of the corner of her eye while her husband was holding little DJ on his lap, the toddler sleeping in his monster form.

"He had my daughter and Catherine's declared bastards and gave all his love to that weak, simpering idiot Jane spawned but it was I that had the last laugh because MY daughter ruled longer than any of them!" Anne laughed. Seconds later she felt hands press against her back and give her a hard shove into the lake.

"Weak, simpering idiot eh?" Jane Seymour said angrily when Anne resurfaced. "At least I bore him a son that wasn't disfigured by black magic!"

Anne seized Jane's ankles and pulled her into the lake with her.

"Bitch!" Anne snarled, shoving Jane's head underwater.

"You can't kill me. I'm already dead!" Jane taunted and pushed Anne under.

"Holy crow, it's a cat fight!" Jasper exclaimed.

Beth giggled beside David. "I can't help it. I keep seeing that scene from Dynasty!"

"Harry!" Henry VII barked at his son. "Control your wives!"

The former king only sipped his glass of wine and watched, smiling slyly.

"Had I not caught Henry whoring with you I would have given him a healthy son and YOU would have been sent back to Wolf Hall where you belonged!" Anne laughed harshly. "You were so weak it took you days to give birth and didn't even survive it!"

Jane ignored her and tried to swim to shore until Anne dragged her back.

"You've had this coming for centuries!"

"Ladies!" David said sharply. They paused. "Fighting won't solve anything since you're already dead, now come out of there and dry yourselves off!"

They swam to shore, Anne glaring daggers at Jane when she walked over to where her former husband was sitting and sat beside him. She sat in one of the vacant lawn chairs.

"Just like when they were alive," Beth sighed. "But Jane was always more rational. I wonder if Rumple has summoned Catherine yet."

David smiled. "Yes, he has. Look."

Tears came into Beth's eyes when she saw Catherine of Aragon walking with Arthur Tudor, his arm linked through hers approaching them.

"Bess! My dear Bess!" Catherine exclaimed.

"Your Grace!" Beth sobbed and embraced the queen that had been a second mother to her in her first life as Catherine's royal ward, Elizabeth Lawton.

"Your Graces," David greeted, bowing.

"Lord Mayford! You look…different!" Prince Arthur observed.

"Older," David chuckled. "It is so good to see you, Arthur."

"And you, old friend. I am pleased that you've found love again in this new life of yours. We were beginning to worry, Catherine and I."

"You always did worry more about me than I worried about myself," David murmured and stepped aside to give Henry VII and Elizabeth of York time with their son while Catherine was content to chat with them.

"He would have made a wonderful king," Catherine murmured. There was a wistful smile on her lips when she gazed at Henry VIII seated with Jane Seymour. "Henry tried to be one….in the beginning."

"Are you alright, Your Grace."

"I loved him very much Morgan," Catherine said sadly.

"I know you did, Your Grace. Will it be painful for you to remember everything?"

She shook her head. "I want the truth to be known."

Beth took the former queen's hand in hers. "I wouldn't have David if it weren't for you. You brought us together and I'll always be grateful for that."

Catherine smiled softly. "Dear Bess, you came together on your own. I simply…encouraged it. You don't mind that I address you by your old names, do you?"

"Not at all Your Grace."

"Mind if I join you?" Arthur inquired.

"Why would we mind? You're always welcome here Arthur."

They heard someone clear his throat and turned to see Rumple standing there.

"When everyone is ready…"

"We're ready."

"Before our last break we learned that Perkin Warbeck was indeed Prince Richard of York and one of the few methods he had to prove his identity had been stolen." Rumple held his hand out to the camera, displaying the ring he'd started wearing as a young man, one of the few possessions of his father's that he'd wanted to keep. Now he no longer felt comfortable wearing it knowing its tragic history. He began to take it off when the former prince shook his head.

"No. It was your grandfather's and it belongs to you now. Wear it," he insisted.

Rumple now turned to Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.

"I don't know how Bess still loved me after what I'd done. Her brother and cousin were killed on my orders. Oh, I told myself it was to guard the throne for myself but by doing so I brought the dreaded curse down on my family."

Margaret Beaufort scoffed. "There was no curse."

"There was a curse, Mother."

Now the cameras were on Arthur and Catherine.

"My marriage vows were sealed in blood," Catherine confessed sadly. "My parents were refusing to send me to England until they were certain the throne was secure. Arthur and I had only exchanged letters during that time."

"I had little experience writing to woman, much less my future bride. There are theories that my letters to Catherine were composed with the assistance of a tutor. This is true and one of those tutors was my mother's oldest and dearest friend. Our letters were formal and written in Latin, the only common language we were able to communicate in."

"I wanted this wedding to be the talk of every royal house in the world," Henry VII boasted. "And I would spare no expense but there were some….delicate matters that needed to be discussed first."

England

Fall, 1501

"….I understand Their Spanish Majesties require immediate cohabitation."

Morgan and the king listened in silence as the other counselors continued their debate. Ferdinand and Isabella had made their wishes clear in their last communications, that Arthur and Catherine should begin their married life together as quickly as possible.

"Your Grace, forgive me but I do not feel Arthur is ready," Morgan protested during one of their private conferences.

"He has been instructed how to behave in the bedchamber, has he not?"

"He has."

"Then I see no reason why he cannot begin to do his husbandly and royal duty on his wedding night. You have instructed him yourself?"

"Your Grace….it has been some time since I've had relations with a woman…."

"It's a skill no man forgets my lord Mayford," the king quipped. "You should take a mistress. You are still young enough to remarry and sire another heir, a male heir and if your bride doesn't suit you a mistress will make that bed of yours warm again! This marriage between my son and the Spanish girl must be a success to be worth the price England has paid for her." The king lowered his head. "They haunt me, Morgan. Every night the spirits of those boys haunt me, yet it is a punishment I deserve for sending them to their deaths. I could have sent them away."

"You could have, yes."

"Some days I cannot even look my queen in the eye knowing what I have done yet she loves me still. God has forgiven me, but I cannot forgive myself."

"…Your Grace, the Prince was 15 last month."

"She is still 15."

"I was quite capable at that age, as I remember."

"But then, my Lord, you have a strong constitution."

"Prince Arthur can hardly be called robust."

"Spain should have learned a lesson from their own prince, whose death was directly due to premature cohabitation."

"Randy young devil. Anyway, as I understand, the Emperor's girl's not exactly cold. I still maintain they should have separate establishments for a year at least."

"But suppose she should die within that space?"

"We might well be depriving the country of its future heir."

"A risk we must be prepared to take in view – "

"No, no, no. The Lord Prince and his bride will live together," Henry declared. Morgan held his tongue though he still felt it best for them to wait until the prince was in better health before consummating the marriage. For his part, Arthur was eager to finally meet his new bride. They'd conversed in Latin through letters Morgan and the prince's tutor had helped him write. The letters were more formal than those his brother would pen to his then mistress Anne Boleyn years later yet there was still a degree of affection in them.

Hampshire, England

November 4, 1501

Eager to meet his bride and eager to see if the Spanish princess had been worth the price paid for her, The King, Prince Arthur and a small company of men including Morgan rode for Hampshire. It was late in the evening when they finally arrived at the Princess's camp. The King, Morgan and the Prince went into the Princess's tent but the Princess herself was nowhere to be found.

"The Princess has retired to her chamber. Her Royal Highness can see no one," said Dona Elvira, the princess's duenna.

"Madam, we will see the Princess, even were she in her bed," the King said firmly.

Doctor De Puebla, the Spanish ambassador approached the king nervously. "Sir, my sovereigns have commanded that the Infanta shall not show her face before the ceremony, according to the Spanish custom."

"This is England, Doctor and I am now her guardian."

Realizing the King could not be swayed, a furious Dona Elvira went to fetch her royal mistress. A young girl in a white nightdress, her face concealed behind a lace veil emerged from behind the curtains. Henry gestured and the veil was lifted.

Morgan smiled softly. The Princess was indeed a lovely young woman with long auburn hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. She smiled and began to speak in Spanish once Doctor De Puebla made the introductions. The King was impressed with his new daughter-in-law.

The wedding was indeed the grand affair the King wished it to be though most of the entertainment was being provided by young Prince Harry who enjoyed showing off his dancing skills.

"Did you ever see such capering? That boy will outlive us all. Madam, what are you doing with that thing?" Henry inquired of his wife later that evening while she was removing the jewels from her headpiece. It was something she often did now as well as repairing her gowns and shoes, using the monies the king had given her on charity.

"Removing the jewel, sir, that I may return them."

"But I gave them to you."

"Sir, they made a good show. But now they must be returned to the strongbox."

"And how often have you repaired your gown or those shoes? I believe those buckles are of tin, madam. Are they of tin?" the King pointed to the buckles on the queen's shoes.

"Yes."

"And if I give you money for silver buckles, you will spend it on charity, no doubt, or in support of your sisters. Oh, Bess. You carry economy too far. Keep the jewels in memory of this great occasion. For I think that nothing has pleased my people more than this marriage."

"Then let him remain here now at Richmond," she begged.

"The Lord Prince must hold his own court."

"But it is winter, sir, and the Prince…"

"The Prince has a duty, madam, and a title to uphold."

"He is much tired, sir, from these entertainments. Look at him. Look into his eyes. I beg you, sir, let him stay."

"Keep to your good works, madam, and leave the government of this realm to us. Hm? Please, God, we have now secured the inheritance and have nothing more to fear."

Yet Elizabeth remained concerned that Arthur still needed more time to rest and recover before he resumed his duties in Wales.

Unable to rest, she asked for Earl of Mayford to be brought to her chamber.

"Have the Prince and Princess retired for the evening?"

"They have but Your Grace, forgive me for being blunt, but I feel the prince is not ready for cohabitation. I have advised the King of this many times as have other members of the council, but the King insists that they live together. I and Lord Pole have instructed the Prince as best we can on the duties of a husband…" Morgan coughed nervously. "Yet I still feel he is not ready."

"They will depart for Ludlow soon," the Queen reminded him sadly. "You will go with him, won't you?"

"The King has already instructed me to do so and to keep him informed of the couple's well-being at Ludlow. Your Grace, I will do all I can to help the Prince."

The queen took his hands in hers and kissed them gratefully. "Thank you, Morgan. Thank you!"

The newlyweds seemed content with each other on the second day of their marriage, enjoying a game of chess while the King and Queen looked on. The Princess was also eager to learn English so that she could better communicate with her family and her people. Doctor De Puebla's visits became more and more frequent and he became the butt of many jokes at court.

"I sometimes wonder what that man's agenda is," Morgan confessed to his daughter while they were out for their morning walk.

"He's looking after Spain's interests, Papa. Isn't he?"

"I must confess that I do not entirely trust him or his sovereigns. Two innocent young men died for this great alliance to be forged. I bear their daughter no ill will, but I cannot say the same for them."

"Can you forgive the King?"

"There are days when I find it difficult to, poppet. He could have sent them away somewhere safe and he refused. Their blood is on his hands as much as it is on Ferdinand and Isabella's. My only consolation is that Richard's widow is well cared for."

"I've heard rumors she is the King's mistress."

"Who has been spreading these wild tales?" he demanded.

"I've heard some of the Queen's ladies suggest it, but I have told no one else but you. Are you cross with me, Papa?"

"No, poppet but the wagging tongues at court make my head ache. Oh, I am looking forward to our journey to Ludlow! Arthur's household will be less chaotic."

"Papa, when will we return to Mayford?"

"I am hoping we can once the Prince and Princess are settled and the Princess gives birth to Arthur's heir."

"Papa, the Prince boasted this morning that he'd 'been in Spain'. He's never been to Spain. What did he mean?"

"He….he…he said what?!" Morgan sputtered. "How did you hear this young lady?"

"Well I ahhh….one of the pages had asked me to walk with him and he stopped to talk to the Prince…"

Morgan scowled at his daughter. "Unchaperoned?"

"No, Papa. Anna accompanied us," she said quickly.

"Jane, I do not like when you lie to me. Now did you or did you not have a chaperone when you and this page went for a walk?"

She lowered her head shamefully. "We were alone."

"Did he take liberties with you? Well…?" he pressured when she hesitated.

"He ahhh…..kissed me. Papa, please don't be angry! I asked him to."

"You should not be asking for kisses from a boy you're not betrothed to! What else did he do? There's no sense in lying. You'll tell me everything you've done, or I'll have the boy brought to me and will question him in your presence."

"It was not the first time we've kissed. We've kissed a few times before, but I give you my word Papa, that is all I've allowed him to do."

"You are aware, daughter, that I can see whether you're telling the truth or not if I concentrate hard enough and do not think of using one of your spells to control my mind."

"I would never! Not to you!" Jane sobbed.

"Do you love this boy?"

"I think I do," she answered honestly.

"Has he tried to pressure you into anything else?"

"No."

"You haven't told him who we really are, have you?"

"No, Papa. Papa, he does want to ask your permission to court me, but you've been so busy lately…"

Morgan sighed. "I know I have and that is why I am hoping my stay at Ludlow will be brief and we can retire to Mayford for a year or two."

"You aren't upset William is only a page?"

"I should be but who was I before I became an earl? An exile from another world, the son of a thief. Who am I to begrudge another boy's humble origins? If his intentions are honorable, I will welcome his suit. If they are not, I'll have his backside tossed from court faster than he can blink an eye."

"You still didn't answer my question, Papa. What did Prince Arthur mean when he said he'd 'been in Spain'?"

"It was not a conversation fit for a lady's ears and the Prince should know better than to engage in such discussions in mixed company. Go back to our apartments and finish packing. We will be leaving for Ludlow soon."

In the meantime, he would have a word with the Prince…and the King. He sought out the Prince first and found him in the gardens.

"I know why you are here Lord Mayford and I am sorry I said such things in front of your Jane."

"Are they true? Have you done your husbandly duties with your new bride?"

"I could not," the Prince confessed sadly.

Morgan sat on the bench beside him and put his arm around the young boy's shoulders.

"I suspected as much. Your mother and I feel you were not ready to be a true husband yet and begged the King for you to have separate residences for a year after the wedding, but he insisted."

"It's not that I find Catherine unattractive. She is beautiful and I…I do desire her as man should but….Morgan, what if I can never be a true husband to her?"

"You can be, you just needed more time to adjust, that is all."

"Were you nervous on your wedding night with your wife?"

"I was but I will tell you something few know….my wife was no virgin when she came to my bed and being as inexperienced as I was, I was not aware of her deception."

The Prince stared at him in shock.

"It is the truth. We only shared a bed a few times, enough for Jane to be conceived but Anne and I got along well enough without it."

"I will be King of England one day. I need an heir! Catherine is capable but what if I am not?"

"Stop thinking about your duty and give yourselves more time to get to know each other. Was Catherine angry?"

"No, my lord she was as terrified as I am. We ahhh….did kiss and caress each other a bit and we did sleep in the bed together. When she realized I….she told me not to worry….we would have time…oh Morgan…she was more understanding than I expected her to be!"

"Then once you're ready to make love it will be a pleasurable experience for you."

"Don't you ever long to have a woman in your bed again?"

"Do I? Yes, I do but I am getting older and there'll be a time when I'm no longer capable of bedding a woman and I would only do so if she were willing."

"Sometimes I find it easier to talk to you than my father."

"You know I will always be here to listen."

Morgan was not surprised that King sent for him after his conversation with the Prince.

"My son tells me his bride is still a maid yet he boasted to the contrary and in your daughter's presence."

"I gave him a mild scolding," Morgan admitted. "Your Grace, the Queen and I still feel this haste in cohabitation is not in the Prince's best interests. Will you reconsider sending them to Ludlow together."

"No. My son must learn his duties and if his bride intends to sit on throne at his side, she must learn hers. They will leave for Ludlow in the morning and you will accompany them."

"I may need to return early, Your Grace. One of your pages has expressed an interest in courting Jane."

"A page? Your daughter will be Countess of Mayford. You should aim higher, my lord."

"I want my daughter's match to be a better one than mine. I will observe the boy to be certain his intentions are honorable. Perhaps she'll find another suitor at Ludlow."

Ludlow Castle

Wales

Spring, 1502

Your Grace Queen Elizabeth,

I am pleased to report that the Prince and his new bride are adjusting well to their married life and the Prince's health continues to improve. He and the Princess spend many hours together playing chess, reading, riding and the Princess is now learning to communicate with everyone in English. They are well loved here and every day the affection they have for each other grows.

I must tell you that there was some tension between the Princess and Lady Pole. Your Grace, the Princess feels that she is to blame for the deaths of our Richard and Teddy but now that she has been speaking to Lady Pole more, those tensions have dissolved. Lady Pole now loves our new Princess like another daughter.

The Prince is planning to return to court at Christmastide and God willing the Princess will soon be with child.

Your loyal servant and friend

Morgan, Lord Mayford

Morgan set his quill down and smiled. All had been well in the months since they'd departed from Richmond and that morning Arthur seemed confident that he and Catherine were now ready to consummate the marriage.

"Papa! Papa! Come quickly!" he heard Jane scream as she and the king's page William ran to him. William had been sent to Ludlow at Morgan's request so that he would be able to observe the boy's courtship of Jane more closely. Morgan was pleased, the boy didn't seem to mind at all that he would not inherit Jane's title or fortune if they wed.

"Jane? William? What is it?" he asked worriedly, tucking the letter into his satchel.

"Papa….the Prince and Princess….the plague!" Jane panted.

"W…What?!" Morgan gasped.

"The Prince and Princess have the sweat," William cried.

Papa, it is the Ozian plague, he heard Jane's voice in his mind.

Oh, sweet Jesu! No!

They ran back to the castle. The household staff was gathered outside the couple's bedchamber praying and in the bedchamber the physicians attended the royal couple, their faces concealed by plague masks.

"Oh Morgan," Maggie Pole sobbed. "How could this be?"

"It is the curse," Morgan heard Richard say when the former King appeared beside him.

Don't!

"You know it is. I warned them. I warned them their curses last too long and one day they would harm someone they loved. Henry ordered my nephews' executions. Now the curse will take his firstborn and it will continue to take the firstborn sons until the Tudor line dies out."

Not Arthur. Please, not Arthur!

Morgan kept vigil at Maggie and her husband's sides while Jane retreated to her rooms to consult her father's Nonestican texts in hopes of brewing a potion that could cure the royal couple. She worked through the night and most of the following morning. She brewed several potions that the physicians were reluctant to administer at first but with all hope diminishing they finally relented. Catherine slowly began to recover though the Prince remained in a weakened state.

April 2, 1502

"Lord Mayford," the Princess said weakly. "Arthur….Arthur is asking for you."

"Your Highness you should not be out of bed!" he admonished. Catherine had been given another room when she began to recover though she begged to tend her husband.

"He has asked for me too."

"Come. We will speak with him but then you must go to bed!"

"Morgan, Catherine," Arthur whispered. "You came."

"Arthur, my love you must rest," Catherine pleaded.

"I am dying Catherine."

"Noooo!" she sobbed. "Por favor Arutro, no es verdad."

"Si, es verdad me querida Catalina. Lo siento traté de ser un buen esposo para ti." He reached up and caressed her cheek tenderly. "My father….he will take your dowry and send you back to Spain."

"It doesn't matter. I do not want to be here without you! Te amo Arturo! Te amo!"

"Te ama me quierida Catalina, escúchame por favor. Todavía puedes ser la Reina de Inglaterra." He smiled. "Our marriage was not consummated."

"Arthur, surely you're not suggesting…?" Morgan cried.

"Harry will be Papa's heir."

"Harry is six years younger!" Morgan protested. "Remember Leviticus! A man cannot marry his brother's wife. They will be childless!"

"Catherine will go to my brother's bed a maid. Papa can obtain a papal dispensation."

"You want me to marry Harry?" Catherine was stunned.

"He fancies you, querida and with you at his side he can become the king I wanted to be. You are the daughter of Isabella of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon, born to be Queen of England!"

"Your father will never agree to it," Catherine argued. Morgan nodded in agreement.

"He will. He needs as many alliances as he can get against the French and Scots."

"He's already sending your sister to Scotland to marry King James," Morgan reminded him.

"I know but I will not allow him to send Catherine back. Her place is here…on the throne beside Harry." Arthur looked up at him. "Promise me you'll help her Morgan."

"I will," he said through his tears.

"Goodbye old friend and by the grace of God I'll see you again someday. I must speak to Catherine alone now."

Jane and William were waiting for him out in the hall.

"Papa?" Jane asked sadly. He shook his head.

"He is in God's hands now poppet," he croaked. He took the letter he'd written to the Queen out of his satchel and threw it the fire. An hour later they heard the princess sobbing in Arthur's bedchamber.

"We…we must tell their Graces," Lord Pole murmured.

"I will go," Morgan croaked. Maggie helped Arthur's grieving bride back into bed, but she refused to sleep and had very little appetite.

"You must eat and recover your strength," Dona Elvira ordered.

"Please…I want to be alone!" she moaned.

"Your Highness…"

"LEAVE ME!" Catherine screamed.

"Lord Mayford, you are exhausted. Let me ride to Richmond," Will pleaded.

"Papa, he's right. The Princess would want you to stay. The Prince would want you to stay," Jane reminded him.

Morgan picked up his rosary beads and nodded, clutching them to his chest as he prayed for the boy he'd loved like a son.

Richmond

"Pray be seated, madam. I have asked the holy father to wait until you came." Henry advised the Queen when she was brought to his chambers.

"If we receive good things from God, may we not endure evil things? I have been commanded by your Grace's counsel to tell you…it grieves me ill to tell Your Majesties, that your dearest son hath departed to God. The Lord Prince of Wales, madam, is dead of the sweating sickness. Within two days of his taking it. The physicians could not save him."

"And the Princess?" the Queen inquired weakly.

"Her Highness took the fever also and is thought likely to recover."

"Pray God she does."

"We thank you, Father."

"God comfort Your Majesties in your affliction."

Henry sank to his knees, his rosary in his hands.

"Ave maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benbenedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus Oh, Blessed Virgin! Sweetest Lady of Mercy! Why? Why? How should he be taken? He stood here and I held him, so sure that he would rule! First Edmund and now my proud boy. Is our house accursed?" he wept.

"No, sir!" the queen insisted as she knelt at his side.

"Then why are our sons taken from us if our house is not accursed of God? Did his stars lie? All the signs, all the prophecies blessed their union, their welfare, their long life. Yet there were whispers…"

"Sir…"

"…the marriage was sealed in blood!"

"No!"

"…by Warwick's death and your brother's. Since their execution, both our sons!"

"It was the plague, sir!"

"Was it so?"

"You must not blame yourself. I would not have that."

"I sent him into Wales!"

"It was his duty!"

It was his death, madam. And I was so sure!"

"Sir, I beg you. We still have left us a fair prince and two fair princesses, and God is where He ever was. We are still young. We can have other children."

"One son? One single son to hold this fierce kingdom?"

"Remember, sir, my lady, your mother, had no more children but you only. And yet God has ever preserved you and brought you where you are now. You must not despair, sir. For as your Grace's wisdom is known all over Christendom, you must now give proof of it!"

"You give firmer proof than I do. Well we will guard well the health of our one prince. From this time, he shall have his own chamber, which can be entered only through ours."

"And if it should be safe, sir, we should fetch the Lady Catherine to work her recovery."

"We will, we will do so. Look. The night is passing. How bare the branches are. They are like arms against the sky."

"Oh! My sweet Arthur! My own darling boy!" The Queen sobbed.

"Bess, Bessie…"

"Oh! I cannot think that he is no more with us. That we shall never look on him again. I cannot think it! He was so fair!"

"What shall I say to comfort you, who gave me such comfort? Only your own words, your own counsel, that we should thank God for the Prince Harry and take our solace in him."

They held each other tightly as they wept.

As Morgan and Catherine feared, Ferdinand and Isabella immediately requested that the first payment of Catherine's dowry and her dower rights as Princess of Wales be returned. They also instructed Doctor De Puebla to ask the King to have Catherine herself sent home as quickly as possible.

"At our expense?" the King demanded.

"Oh, naturally. Unless you are willing to consider the alternative. But the marriage of the Princess Catherine to your youngest son must constitute a firm alliance and the decision must be made immediately, this is imperative."

"Imperative, Doctor Puebla?"

"Oh, you have already wasted two months, sir."

"You may wait longer. Time was, Doctor, when your sovereigns made us sue for their daughter's hand. Now they shall sue for my son's. We have no need of immediate action. It is not our army that the French are beating. As for the Princess's provision, we are quite prepared to give her the Welsh jointure."

"Ah, this is something at least."

"Provided…"

"Yes?"

"Provided that the last half of her dowry is satisfactorily completed in our favor, a sum of 100,000 crowns, I believe."

"But this is contrary to all canon and civil law."

"In which case, it is not the only obstacle."

"Ah, then I must inform Their Majesties…"

"Inform Their Majesties that we are considering their proposals and consulting with Rome over the necessary dispensation. Meanwhile, the Princess will continue to be housed with her retinue at Durham House. At our expense. Provided that she renounce her dower rights."

The Queen was blissfully unaware of the tense negotiations between her husband and Spain, rejoicing that she would soon give birth to another child. She and the King prayed for a son though their beloved firstborn was irreplaceable. The King remained true to his word that they would guard their new heir as fiercely as they could.

Mayford Manor

Winter, 1503

They had been away for so long that Morgan and Jane had almost forgotten how much they enjoyed the winters at Mayford and there was much to celebrate that Christmastide. The Queen would soon give birth to another child and Morgan had given his consent for Jane and the page William Danvers to be wed. Many were scandalized that Lord Mayford would allow his daughter to marry so far beneath her, forgetting her father's own humble beginnings. The couple would have a small ceremony after the New Year at Mayford before they returned to court in the spring.

Morgan wept silently while his daughter and Will exchanged vows, unable to believe the little girl he'd raised alone was now a beautiful young woman that would soon start a family of her own.

Later that evening Morgan sat by the fire in his study wondering if there would ever come a day when he would wed again.

"You will," he heard a voice say and looked up to see Arthur seated in the other chair. He smiled softly.

"I was hoping you'd come to me. Your great-uncle has been avoiding me."

"I have not!" Richard laughed when he appeared. "I've just been spending time with Anne and our Edward. So, you will be a grandfather soon. How does it feel, old boy?"

"They've only been wed a few hours!"

"Plenty of time for the deed to be done!"

"You're incorrigible!"

Arthur laughed. "You remind me a bit of Harry."

"Even I am not as impulsive as your brother. He takes after my brother. You take after your mother."

Arthur lowered his head. "She will soon join us Morgan."

"What!? Arthur, please say it isn't so. She's young yet."

"He speaks the truth Morgan. You know he does. You've seen it."

He nodded sadly hoping the visions he'd been having for the last week were false….the loss of the child…the queen to follow shortly after.

"Henry…your father….he'll be devastated….he loves her so."

"More than I would have imagined," Richard added. "But the curse is doing its work and now it comes to claim the life of one who cast it."

"That damned curse!" Arthur raged. "Is there no way to break it?"

"We've tried," Morgan admitted. "Dear Elizabeth." He set his goblet down and buried his face in his hands.

A week later a messenger arrived from the palace, confirming the earl's worst fears. Queen Elizabeth of York passed into God's hands on her 37th birthday, preceded in death by her last child, the Princess Katherine whom she'd given birth to less than a week earlier.

The King was inconsolable and went into seclusion with only his mother to attend him and word began to circulate that he too was ill and would follow his beloved wife to the grave.

As Morgan was about to retire for the evening, he heard sobs coming from the late queen's chambers. He opened the door and found Prince Harry lying on his mother's bed, clutching the sheets, weeping softly.

"I miss her!" he wailed.

"We all do, Your Highness. Your lady mother was a wonderful woman." He sat on the edge of the bed. "Come. We must get you back to your own rooms."

"I don't want to leave! I want to be here. She's still here. I can feel it."

Morgan placed his hand over the prince's chest. "This is the only place you need her to be, Harry. The King will worry if you're not in you're not in your bed."

"Does she come to you?" the prince inquired.

"What do you mean?"

"I've heard Mama and Papa talk about you. You see things others don't see. I won't tell."

"I haven't seen your mother yet, but I have seen your brother. Take comfort that they are in God's hands Harry. He will care for them. Come, your father will be cross if you're still awake."

Reluctantly the prince followed him back to his chamber.

The court was now a somber place without its beloved white rose Queen. When the king emerged from seclusion, he retreated further into himself and many at court questioned his sanity when it was announced that he was seeking to marry his son's widow but even as quickly as the plans were announced the king had a change of heart and began to seek a bride elsewhere.

"Ah but they can never be as she was to me Morgan," the King confessed. "You seem content though your wife has been dead many years now."

"I hope to see my grandchildren before I pass into Lurline's hands."

"Your Jane is not yet with child? They've been wed six years."

"She has lost two."

"I am sorry, my lord. I did not know."

"We do not discuss it at court. The loss is great for her…and for me but she and Will have not given up hope they will conceive again."

"Then take her home with my blessing. The court is an unhappy place without my Bess, Morgan. Soon it will be Harry's turn to rule…with Catherine as his queen."

"Your Grace!"

"Bess is waiting for me Morgan. I hear her at night…and I see her with our children." He closed his eyes and moments later he was asleep. Drifting off during their nightly talks had become a habit for the King now and Morgan suspected he spoke the truth that he would be joining his beloved Bess in death soon.

Catherine fared no better while the King and the recently widowed King of Aragon haggled over her dowry. It grieved Morgan to see Arthur's beloved bride living like a pauper. He, Will and Jane attempted to ease the princess's burdens as much as they could by bringing clothing and food from their own stores when they visited at Durham House.

"You must stop bringing me so much Lord Mayford!" Catherine protested. "You need to maintain your own household."

"Your Highness I gave Arthur my word that I would watch over you and I will continue to do so. Please, take the gowns and the food."

"I have my plate. I will make use of it and buy us our own food and gowns."

"You should not need to sell your plate!" Morgan protested. "I do not understand why the King is being so obstinate in this matter. You are a Princess of Spain and his own son's widow, worthy of every respect."

"He wants my dowry and he will have it," the Princess said sadly. "I will write to my sister and ask her to visit me with her husband. Perhaps they will help me. I do not trust Doctor De Puebla. He does as the King bids."

"He always has, Your Highness. I have never trusted him either."

"Dona Elvira cares for my wellbeing when he does not."

He would never admit it, but he did not trust the princess's duenna either. Like De Puebla, Dona Elvira had her own agenda for causing friction. Morgan, through his own network of informants, learned that Catherine's sister Juana, the current Queen of Castile was now at war with her father, attempting to overthrow him as King of Aragon with Dona Elvira's brother working as her agent in Flanders. There had also been a proposal offered by Henry to Juana's daughter Eleanor for Harry's hand.

The intrigues by the Spanish made his head ache along with the intrigues he'd uncovered in England.

"Lord Mayford, are you unwell?"

"My head aches, Your Highness," he murmured.

"Come, sit down." The princess took his hand and helped into her chair. "Forgive me for distressing you, Lord Mayford."

"You haven't distressed me Your Highness. Others do that well enough." He sipped the goblet of water she handed him gratefully. "I would retire to Mayford but I will see you on the throne first!"

"If Prince Harry will still have me. Dona Elvira!"

"Your Highness?" the duenna asked when she entered the room.

"Have a bed made for Lord Mayford. He must rest."

"Your Highness…"

"No, you will rest here," she insisted.

He didn't want to impose yet being a guest would allow him to keep a watchful eye on Dona Elvira, nearly impossible to do when his head ached so much he could barely get out of bed.

"Shall I send for Jane?" Catherine inquired on the second day when she and her lady Maria de Salinas brought him his breakfast. They kept the room in darkness when they learned that light worsened the Earl's condition.

"No….do not trouble her…in my satchel there is a recipe for a potion she gives me when these spells strike me. It is simple."

Maria read the list, nodding. "I can make this for you in the kitchens."

"Does it work?"

"Very well Your Highness. Forgive me…I should have brought some with me."

"You have nothing to be forgiven for. I am enjoying your company."

"Little company I am, bedridden and you having to wander about in a dark room."

"Arthur's head ached as yours did. I am accustomed to it. I still miss him terribly."

"As do I. He was like a son to me and he would have made a wonderful king."

"When I am Queen of England, I will do all I promised. I will love the people and they will love me, and I will help make Harry a good king. I will learn to love him."

"He fancies you. Always has."

She smiled. "I know."

She sat with him until he finished his breakfast then retired to write to her sister.

"Your Highness I am afraid-" Doctor DePuebla began.

"Doctor DePuebla, I have written to my sister."

"Your sister?"

"Queen Juana of Castille, suggesting that she and her husband should visit me here. You see, Dona Elvira cares what becomes of me when you do not!"

"Dona Elvira. Did she suggest this?"

"Let me send it for you."

"No." She clutched the letter to her chest. "Dona Elvira will send it for me."

"Your Royal Highness, please believe me if you send that letter….the King is considering a marriage between Prince Henry and Queen Juana's daughter Eleanor!"

"But Dona Elvira said…"

"Dona Elvira's brother is in Flanders plotting with your sister against your father!"

"Dona Elvira has been my duenna ever since she came to England. She has been like a mother to me. I would trust her as I would trust my own mother."

"Your Royal Highness you have lived for fifteen years in the court of Spain and you have now lived for five years more in the English court and you still haven't learnt you can trust nobody?"

"Not even you, Doctor DePuebla!" she informed him coolly.

"You can trust me in one thing. I have fought for this marriage for nearly twenty years and I will not see it destroyed."

So have I! Catherine thought. I came here to be Queen of England and that is what I shall be!

"There is no question of that. Prince Henry and I are betrothed."

"But, Your Royal Highness…" DePuebla could see Dona Elvira approaching.

"At your next audience with King Henry, will you please ask him for some money for the expenses for my household when I return to Durham House. And ask him to be so good as to supply me with a new duenna. Now leave me."

"Shall I send…"

"Leave me!"

The ambassador bowed and took his leave.

Dona Elvira!" Catherine tore the letter into pieces and handed them to her. "You will join your brother in Flanders."

"Your Highness!"

"Go! You are released from my service. I will have a new duenna, one that does not plot with her brother against my father!" She spun on her heel and left the duenna with the remains of her foiled scheme.

Morgan was well enough to be up and about the following morning.

"So you've sent Dona Elvira away."

"You do not sound shocked Lord Mayford. Were you aware of the plot?"

"I was. I intended to speak to you of it, but I was not well enough to do so. It was a wise decision, Your Highness but I fear the King will not let you stay at Durham House without a duenna."

"He must find me one!"

Morgan sighed. "Your Grace, I know the King well. He will have you stay at court and in Lady Margaret's custody until the dispute with your father is ended."

"I pray you are wrong, Lord Mayford."

But he knew he wasn't and days later he received a letter from Catherine confirming his suspicions.

I have written to my father asking to send me a new ambassador and he has sent me Don Gutierre Gómez de Fuensalida but I would have preferred Don Pedro de Ayala in his stead. I now regret my distrust of Doctor De Puebla as Fuensalida has angered the King greatly and has been refused audience with him. I will act as my own ambassador from this moment on. Some of my maids have expressed a desire to return to Spain but I would rather die than return unmarried. I will continue to fight for my right to be Prince Henry's wife.

Richmond

April 21, 1509

"…The King is dead….long live the King!"

Morgan crossed himself and offered a prayer for the soul of Henry VII, who would at last be reunited with his beloved white rose queen. His eyes met those of Lady Margaret. The King's mother wept softly, never expecting that her beloved son would precede her in death.

"My lady…."

"We must see my grandson safely onto the throne," she murmured.

"Yes, we must."

But to which bride, he wondered and glanced over at Harry. The Prince, now King was oddly quiet. There were many glad to see the old king go and believed young Harry would bring a golden age to England. Morgan had his doubts but he kept his silence. Perhaps Harry would surprise them all.

Mayford Manor

May, 1509

"Lord Mayford! With me!" the new King announced when he burst into Morgan's bedchamber that morning. "Are you still abed?"

Morgan scowled at him. "I am not as young as I once was Your Grace and need my rest."

"Nor are you in your dotage. Get up, my lord! We have important business to attend to." The King pulled the coverlet off the bed.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Patience is a virtue, Your Grace."

"And I'm getting longer in the tooth while I wait!" the King joked. Morgan shook his head.

"What could be so pressing that you drag me out of my bed? And may I dress in private?"

"We are going to fetch my bride and I am staying to be certain you don't get back into bed when I leave."

"Surely Brandon would be better suited for this errand."

"No, I want you with me. Quickly, Lord Mayford!"

"I'm dressed. Where are we off to?"

"Back to court of course."

"You came out here to drag me back to court to help you collect your bride?"

"You've been in exile long enough, my lord."

"Has it ever occurred to you that I wish to retire from court life?"

No one else would have dared to speak to the young King with such impertinence but the King enjoyed the banter with his parents' oldest friend.

"Now why would you do that when my court will be the finest in the world! Time's wasting!"

"Will you at least tell me whom we're going to see?"

"It's a surprise."

Jane and Will, still at court, had advised him there were two marriage offers being debated in council, one for a French marriage, the other to Juana's daughter Eleanor. There were no discussions of marriage to Catherine.

Richmond

May, 1509

"…His Majesty begs to be allowed to wait upon Your Highness," the Earl of Surrey informed Catherine when he came upon her reading in the galley.

"His Maj…oh yes! I shall be glad to receive the King. When will His Majesty…"

"When I left His Majesty he was already…"

Catherine stood up quickly. "You mean he is coming here now?!"

She ran her hands through her hair and smoothed out the wrinkles in her gown as Henry came into the gallery with Morgan at his side.

"Your Royal Highness," the King greeted softly.

"Your Majesty."

"Thank you for receiving me with so little warning."

"May I express the sorrow I feel over the death of your father? He was like a father to me too."

"Thank you. He expressed a dying wish which I hope you will help me to fulfill. That is why…that is why I have come to see you."

"I will do whatever Your Majesty wishes."

"My father's last request was…." The King cleared his throat before he continued. "It was that you and I should be married as soon as possible. And Catherine, dearest Catherine, it is my wish too," the King said with a smile and took her hands in his then leaned down and kissed them. "We will be married and have our coronation together. Does that not please you?"

"It pleases me very much Your Majesty!" she cried happily.

"At last!" Morgan sighed, his eyes meeting Catherine's.

Beside him Arthur was smiling too, not for his brother but for Catherine. After years of turmoil she would at last take her rightful place as Queen of England.

"She will be a Queen no one will ever forget," the former prince declared.

And she would be but for many her light would be eclipsed by another whom Henry would wage war with Rome itself to have…Anne Boleyn.


	9. Sir Loyal Heart

**Author's Notes: Quotes are from the Bible and The Canterbury Tales **

**The United Realms **

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer, 2019**

"…Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were married on June 11, 1509 and given a joint coronation on June 24," Rumple narrated.

Henry, who had been keeping his distance from his former wife and brother was now seated beside them, Arthur glaring at him the entire time.

"I did love Catherine," he insisted.

"You have an odd way of showing your love, brother!" Arthur snapped. "You cuckolded her, divorced her, made her live in poverty away from her child while you dallied with your younger mistress whom you beheaded anyway when you thought _she_ was cuckolding _you_!"

"I didn't tell Catherine, but I always had my doubts about whether marrying Harry was a wise choice for her," David admitted. "But it was what she and Arthur wanted so I kept my silence."

"I honestly believed that Catherine's influence would be good for Harry," Arthur added.

"It was, it was!" Henry insisted.

"Yet deep down you hated her, didn't you?" Arthur accused. "You couldn't stomach that her victory at Flodden was greater than your fiasco in France!"

Their great-uncle Richard III snorted from his lawn chair. "Why does that sound familiar? Oh, of course. Edward's blunder in France that set George on the path to be drowned in Malmsey wine!"

"You're wrong! I loved Catherine but I believed that because she'd been your wife first that was why we didn't have a living son."

"That was nonsense!" Arthur scoffed. "You just wanted rid of her so you could marry Anne, but you didn't get a living son on her either, now did you?"

"_Because I wouldn't allow it!" _they heard a voice snarl followed by a flash of light. Standing behind Henry's lawn chair was a woman with blond hair and grey eyes bearing a striking resemblance to Lara Parker, the actress who portrayed the witch Angelique Bouchard on the popular 60s soap opera Dark Shadows, her hair and dress in the styles from the era.

Beth frowned. "Okay, who's pulling pranks and conjuring up Angelique Bouchard? Are we gonna get Barnabas Collins too?"

"Oh I wouldn't mind that," Tracey, the former Blue Fairy of the third Enchanted Forest murmured. Her Archie chuckled and shook his head, her admiration of the fictional vampire a running joke between them.

"Now see what you started?" he asked.

"I'm very real…and so are Barnabas and Collinwood," Angelique said. "Time moves differently for us there as it does here."

"But how did you get here, dearie? I didn't summon you!" Rumple protested.

"I've had many lives, but I've spent them all searching for the only man I've ever truly loved but he's not Barnabas Collins." She approached David's chair; her eyes filled with tears. "And now…now I've finally found you….Papa."

"You can't be Jane!" David gasped. "You can't!"

"She is!" Anne Boleyn said angrily. "I should have known."

Angelique turned to face Anne, smiling evilly. "Yes, you should have. I told you I would destroy you for what you did to my father and Bess!"

"David, what are they talking about?" Beth asked him.

"I don't know!" he moaned. "Jane, what did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Catherine and Arthur crossed themselves and began to pray.

"You're my grandmother, Jane Whitmore?" Rumple inquired of Angelique.

"I am. That was my name in my first life, but I used another when I became one of Anne Boleyn's ladies. I'm sure she remembers it."

"She does…and so do I…Miranda DuVal!" Jane Seymour hissed. "Did you curse me too, you vile witch? I did nothing to you or your father!"

Angelique laughed harshly. "I didn't have to! I just let Henry's mother's curse run its course on you, but I wasn't done with him _yet_!"

"You were supposed to be in the Enchanted Forest with Malcolm!" David yelled. "Why did you abandon my grandson, your own SON? Why?!"

"For my revenge, Papa."

"What revenge?"

"Against _them_!" Angelique pointed at Henry and Anne Boleyn. "I wanted him to suffer the way he made you suffer before he had you murdered! I wanted the rot that was in his soul to show on his body…and I wanted the whore that tried to prevent you from marrying Bess to birth the rot from her own soul!"

"Henry was the one who blocked the marriage, not me!" Anne protested.

"Yet whose cousin did you convince Papa to wed? _Yours_! You Boleyns wanted married into every great house in England!"

"Just like the Woodvilles," Margaret Beaufort said bitterly.

"You tormented them for nothing! You KNEW we were already married in secret!" David shouted.

"It didn't have to be a secret Papa, but HE made it so with his arrogance, trying to make you go against your conscience and support him in his divorce from Catherine."

"I couldn't."

"Nor would I allow him to no matter how much I loved him," Beth added. "Catherine was like a mother to me and I couldn't bear for him to turn against her because it was what Henry wanted."

"Was the black growth on my heart part of your curse Jane?" Catherine inquired.

"No, Your Grace. I never would have harmed you. My father loved you as our Queen and our friend."

"You should have been burned at the stake, witch!" Henry hissed.

"And when you were done destroying the Tudors you went to Collinsport?" David demanded.

"As Miranda DuVal, yes."

Rumple crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his grandmother. "Ye made a deal with Alemedia, dinna ye dearie? Ye sold yer soul to her to be reborn as Angelique Bouchard and ye still left Papa behind in the Enchanted Forest and he became as dark as ye are!"

"There is darkness in all of us Rumple. You know it to be so now. Didn't you make your own journey into darkness?"

"And I paid for it with my life and took the bastard you spawned with me because he abandoned me like you abandoned him. The cycle started with you, but I ended it!"

"I never abandoned my children," Henry snorted.

"You might want to rethink that one Harry!" David snapped. "Or have you forgotten how you treated Mary and Elizabeth? I certainly haven't and neither has history!"

Henry cringed under the icy glares of his first three wives, recalling their visits to him in his final days. Of all, Jane's visit had been the most painful as she would place the blame on Edward VI's early death on his father's shoulders.

"You may as well sit Grandmother. We'll be wanting to hear from you as well."

Angelique claimed one of the vacant lawn chairs beside David.

"David, we left off when Catherine and Henry were married. You told us in the first episode of the documentary you posed as your descendant once. Does this mean you left court for a time?" Belle asked him.

"I did. I was having headaches more often and spent most days in bed even with Jane's potions. Harry and Catherine seemed to be getting along, so I asked permission to leave court for a while. Harry didn't need me, and Catherine was concerned for my health, so she convinced the king to let me go back to Mayford."

**Mayford Manor **

**Spring, 1510 **

Morgan enjoyed his time away from court, the debilitating headaches he'd been plagued with occurring less frequently. He continued to keep in contact with the King and Queen through letters and Jane and Will would bring him first-hand accounts of life at court. It pained Morgan to hear that Catherine was also having difficulty conceiving an heir. Jane and Will would try many more times to conceive without success.

"Perhaps I am not meant to be a mother," Jane confessed sadly. "It pains me to know that Whitmore line will end with me. Papa, you must wed again and have other children."

"I am getting older now Jane and may not be capable," he reminded her. "I found a few strands of silver in my hair this morning. What woman would want to wed an old man?"

"You do not age as others from this land, Papa. You are still a handsome man and I believe still capable but if you return to court claiming to be Lord Mayford's illegitimate son no one would question it."

"Jane! Everyone knows I've not had relations with anyone other than your mother!"

"They know because that is what you've told them Papa. Other men take mistresses. You should have long ago and perhaps during one of those long absences from court you did take one and fathered a son."

"I don't like it."

"No one would fault you for being discreet. The king certainly isn't."

"Would you care to explain that, daughter?"

"The King is bedding one or both of Buckingham's sisters," Jane replied. "Or so I have heard." Morgan scowled.

"I am not surprised. They will not be the last either. Harry takes after his grandfather. Edward had more than a few mistresses which was how Richard could the legitimacy of Queen Elizabeth and her siblings."

"Come back to court with us Papa. The Queen needs you," Jane pleaded.

"How am I to be a comfort to her when I am supposed to be posing as a son that does not exist? She doesn't know the truth about me, nor do I feel she needs to."

"Henry told her," Jane admitted. "She admitted to it during one of her private audiences with me, but she still considers you a dear friend. You promised Arthur you'd look after her, did you not?"

"I did. Very well. I'll come to court as my own illegitimate son, but the truth can only be known to those we trust completely. Now, if anyone asks, your papa has retired to his estates with the king's blessing and he's provided for me over the years." Morgan held up a tray and frowned at his reflection. "However, I still do not look young enough to be an illegitimate son unless I was born sometime after your mama died and I would have to be younger than you!"

Jane waved her hand over him. "Now look in the mirror Papa."

He stared at his reflection in stunned silence. The spell had taken more than twenty years off his physical appearance, the resemblances between father and daughter more evident. He smiled.

"I must admit it feels wonderful to be young again."

**England**

**Spring 1510 **

Henry lowered the letter he'd just been given by a messenger of Lady Mayford and smiled at his wife.

"Jane has written to tell me that she is bringing her brother to court."

"Brother? How is this possible Henry? Morgan has told us he's never taken a mistress." Catherine stared at her husband in confusion.

"It is Morgan, Cate, made younger by one Jane's spells. He's finally taken our advice and is coming to court to find himself a wife. Jane has been unable to have children and Mayford needs another heir…as we do."

"I can still bear you a son Henry!" she declared passionately, the loss of their first child, a stillborn daughter weighing heavily on her conscience.

He prayed with all his heart that she could, and his father's warnings of a curse were nothing more than superstition. As for Catherine, many assumed she had no knowledge of her husband's infidelities, but she was no fool. Her father had also taken mistresses while her mother concentrated all her energies into ruling Castille and raising her children. No mistress would ever unseat her as Queen of England.

"….Lord Morgan Whitmore and Lady Jane!"

All eyes were on Morgan and Jane as they approached the King and Queen's thrones, Morgan's arm through his daughter's and hearing the other lords and ladies whispering when they made their obeisance to the second Tudor King and his Spanish Queen.

"Your Grace, may I present my brother, Lord Morgan Whitmore," Jane announced.

The king's eyes narrowed. "Your father was one of my mother's and my dearest friends Lady Jane, and he insisted he had no other heirs but you. What trickery is this?"

Morgan concealed his amused grin behind his hand.

"It is no trick I assure you. I have a letter from my father that I have been asked to give to you."

"And why hasn't your father come to court with you?"

"He has expressed a desire to remain in the country in his remaining years, Your Grace, though he would welcome a visit from Your Graces during progress."

"The resemblance is uncanny!" Lady Elizabeth Boleyn commented to her husband. Her husband Thomas nodded in agreement.

"Who knew the old fox had it in him!" he jested. "I wonder whom he sired the boy on. Certainly not his wife. I've heard she shared her favors with every man but her husband."

"Thomas! What nonsense! The Lady Anne was a virtuous lady!"

"Try asking Buckingham that. His father was of her lovers."

"Oh!" Lady Boleyn clapped a hand over her mouth. "Did Lord Mayford know?"

"No….and I'm told the King's late grandfather may have bedded her too."

**The United Realms **

**Mayford Manor **

**Summer, 2019**

"…So, _everyone_ knew Anne was cheating on me but _me_!?" David ranted. He glanced over to where Richard III sat with his wife. "Did _you _know?"

The former king nodded sadly. "Thomas Boleyn wasn't lying. I caught Anne with my brother myself and Buckingham boasted about it over a few goblets of wine. I wanted to tell you, but I couldn't bring myself to no matter how hard I tried. Then when she finally told you it no longer mattered."

"It mattered!" he yelled. "You of all people should've told me what was going on under my own roof! Instead you all had a good time laughing about it, didn't you?"

"I didn't!" Richard protested. "I was furious with Edward for keeping _his _trysts with her a secret and boxed Buckingham's ears for his."

"I'm not proud of it if that's any consolation," Edward IV mumbled.

"You still did it, you jerk!" Beth hissed. "You thought just because you were the king you could have any woman you wanted, including the wife of a man you claimed was your friend."

"I should have cursed it to fall off!" Elizabeth Woodville growled. Her husband considered himself lucky he was already dead, or she would have.

"Now, now dearies, let's not have Wars of the Roses II here," Rumple scolded. "Now Lord Mayford, you came back to court in 1510 posing as a non-existent illegitimate son. How well did that go?"

"Well enough. I lived at court as my own son for a short time."

"What made you abandon the charade?"

"I fell in love," he answered honestly.

**England**

**Fall, 1510 **

A deception he felt would be difficult succeeded well enough with the king and queen's cooperation. For her part, Catherine began introducing the young earl to the eligible young ladies of the court but only few were interested as he was born on the wrong side of the blanket with a minor title.

Jane and William's continued efforts to conceive a child proved fruitless as did the queen's. Catherine suggested that she and Jane make a pilgrimage to Walsingham together in the hopes that God would hear their prayers and soon the court was abuzz that they queen was pregnant again. Lady Pole, now back at court feared this child would be another victim of the dreaded curse.

"We cannot assume that Maggie," Morgan said to her when he'd gotten a chance to be alone with her.

"You know it so Morgan. "Lizzie and her mother were convinced Margaret Beaufort helped murder Edward and Richard. We lost our dear Arthur to their curse…the king's father took my brother from me!"

"I tried Maggie, you know I tried to get him to spare Teddy."

"I know," she sniffled. "But he would have the Spanish bride for Arthur and so he bowed to Spain's wishes. I do not grieve for Isabelle of Castille. She had as much of my brother's blood on her hands as the late king!"

Morgan had little affection for the queen's late mother, yet he wouldn't dare begrudge Catherine her happiness. The Queen was elated to be with child again while his beloved Jane began to retreat into her grief that she would never be a mother and spent more and more time alone in her looking through her books for a spell to assist her. Finally, the moment she feared had come.

Morgan had just returned from an archery contest with the King when Will burst into his study.

"You must stop her Morgan!" his son-in-law pleaded.

"Will, lower your voice. Stop whom from doing what?" Morgan quickly closed the door before they could be overheard by the servants.

"Jane…she….she's been doing some awful things with her magic." The younger man sank into a chair and buried his face in his hands.

"What has she done? Tell me!"

"She…she's been….slaughtering animals and using their blood in her spells…..speaking in an odd language and the other night when we…" Will blushed. "She ahhh….wanted me to do terrible things with her, telling me they were offerings to the Dark Goddess."

"WHAT!?" Morgan shouted. "Did she speak the goddess's name?"

"Alma….Alma…."

"Alemedia," Morgan said through gritted teeth. "Stay here. I will speak with my daughter."

"She is with the Queen now, my lord."

Of all the queen's ladies, Catherine felt a kinship with Lady Jane. The Queen lay on her bed, her hands caressing her abdomen. She had not yet begun to show but she would soon enough. She prayed daily that she would deliver a son this time that would live and grow into the man and heir her husband desired. He'd stopped spending the night in her bedchamber the day she announced she was with child. Soon another would take her place in his bed but once she bore his heir, he would return to her as her father always returned to her mother.

The women could hear arguing outside the Queen's chambers.

"No, Your Grace. You mustn't get up!" Jane cried when the Queen attempted to get out of bed. She was not yet ready to retire from court though her ladies and her physician suggested she rest more with this child. Finally they heard a knock on the door.

"I will go," Maria De Salinas said firmly. The others heard her conversing with the guards. "Lady Jane, your brother is asking to see you. The guards tell me he is quite upset."

"Let him come in," the Queen instructed. "You may leave us," she instructed the rest of the women.

"Your Grace."

"Lady Jane and Maria will attend me," she informed them. "Maria, ask them to admit His Lordship."

Once the women departed Morgan was escorted into the Queen's bedchamber.

"Morgan….?" Jane began.

"You know who I am, and I would prefer to have this conversation in private," Morgan said calmly.

"You will have it here," the queen ordered.

"Your Grace…"

"You will have it here, my lord earl, now why are you angry with your daughter?"

"Jane, have you disobeyed my orders and made a pact with the Dark Goddess? Have you?"

Jane paled.

"Lady Jane I am very familiar with your land's religion and I demand you speak the truth to your father. Have you consorted with the Devil?" the queen asked angrily.

"I want a baby!" she sobbed. "I want a baby so much!"

The Queen sat up. Maria placed several pillows behind her back to support her.

"You cannot make ANY deals with Alemedia!" Morgan cried.

"Your father is right dear Jane." The queen reached down and stroked the young woman's cheek tenderly. "I know the pain you feel too well. I have lost my own child, but God has blessed me by giving me another. You must not lose faith that He will bless you as well."

"After all these years of trying? He has forsaken me!"

"Come to Walsingham with me." The queen glanced over at Morgan. "She did not go with me last time, my lord earl. Her courses were upon her."

"I…I cannot…he will not hear my prayers."

"Have you made the pact Jane? Have you given Alemedia your soul?" her father demanded.

"I did not take the device that would seal the pact."

Maria crossed herself. "Madre de Dios Lord Mayford, what device is she speaking of?"

"A dagger. In our land if someone finds that dagger, their soul belongs to Alemedia and they will become her instrument of death and destruction. Fortunately, no one has claimed it yet….at least not that I know of but there are many ways to seal a pact with the dark goddess."

The Queen crawled out of bed and placed her rosary beads in Jane's hands. "Do not close your eyes and ears to the Lord's mercy Jane. Pray with me."

"Now do you see why I still love her, even in death," Morgan heard Arthur say when the young prince appeared beside him while he watched his daughter and the queen praying together. "She has a good heart and I pray with all my heart Harry doesn't break it or turn it to stone."

Already I hear rumors of his roving eye. I understand not all men are faithful to their marriage vows, but my eyes will look upon no other but the wife God will send me.

A tearful Jane embraced the Queen.

"We will go to Walsingham now. Morgan, come with us."

"Your Grace, shouldn't you be resting."

The Queen gently brushed tears from Jane's eyes. "Not when one of my people is in need."

The King was stunned by the Queen's announcement that she would be making another pilgrimage.

"You should not be traveling so far in your condition Cate," he scolded and scowled at Morgan.

"I could not talk her out of it, Your Grace," he protested. The King chuckled.

"No, I suppose you could not. My Queen can be a stubborn one when she wishes. Oh, very well. I will accompany you. Wolsey, Warham and Foxe can handle my affairs here for the time being."

Morgan and the Queen exchanged nervous glances. They knew that Fox, the Bishop of Winchester, and Warham, the Archbishop of Canterbury were the cautious and conservative councilors of Henry VII's court while Wolsey learned that to earn the King's favor was to adhere to his beliefs. Wolsey was rising high in the King's court and discontent had begun to spread among the nobles who felt a 'son of a butcher' didn't belong at court. Catherine distrusted Wolsey herself yet she didn't dare inform the King. The King trusted the man implicitly. Morgan also approached Wolsey with caution, plagued by visions of the man using his power and influence with the young King to destroy those he considered his mortal enemies. They were also increasingly concerned in the King's lack of interest in many affairs of state, instead allowing others to make decisions for him. Catherine was determined to teach her young husband to be a more effective ruler like her parents.

Though Catherine wanted to leave immediately, she agreed to the King's suggestion that they depart for the sacred shrine in the morning.

**The United Realms **

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer, 2019**

"The Walsingham pilgrimage we took that year was a blessing in many ways," Catherine was saying. "I was carrying the son Henry and I longed for, and I believed God would be merciful to Jane and bless her with the child she longed for. But the greatest blessing was the meeting of two people that would become my dearest friends."

Beth smiled and took David's hand in hers. "She's right. David's and my first meeting was during the Walsingham pilgrimage in 1510. We were further apart in age than we are now, and it would take us years to be married, but it was worth the wait."

"How old were you in 1510 if you don't mind my asking?" Belle inquired gently.

"Eighteen. I wasn't much younger than I am now when I died," she murmured and glanced over at her parents. "Maleficient's curse sending me to the Harringtons to raise was no coincidence. It was meant to be."

"Because the Harringtons were her parents in her first life as Elizabeth Lawton," Adora explained. "I simply took their souls when they died and allowed them to be reborn in time for Beth to be sent to them when the Dark Curse struck. Then I altered their memories and the memories of everyone who associated with them to believe Beth had been with them all along, not arriving when she was ten. It was difficult magic to pull off, but I've done it before."

"I knew Harry and Catherine had a few wards, but Beth was the only one I actually met because the others had been fostered out to other nobles or married into their families," David added.

"I was going to send Bess to Charles Brandon as a potential wife, but Catherine wasn't thrilled with the idea."

The former queen shook her head. "All his marriages have caused scandal at court, the marriage to Henry's sister the most scandalous of them all."

"I'd been propositioned by a few men at court, but they knew better than to try or even to marry me without their permission because it was considered treason," Beth added.

"They're lucky I didn't see them, or they would've hit the bricks when I threw them on them!" David snarled.

"Henry and I discussed potential husbands for our Bess but once we saw them together, we agreed that she and Morgan would be an ideal match. Bess's father, Lord Lawton was also a minor noble with small holdings and Bess his only heir. Her lands would be her dowry."

"Back then I was already of marriageable age but there were so many things going on at court that kept David busy, so I rarely saw him."

David sighed. "I wasn't sure she'd want to be with me once she found out the truth about me, but I couldn't deny I was drawn to her…"

**Walsingham**

**1510**

Morgan knew the route well, he'd taken it many times with Henry's father and grandfather, Edward IV and their wives. They would travel as a group from London, making frequent stops to religious houses along the way for food, lodgings and to attend to their spiritual needs. They traveled across miles of countryside and forest where wild boar and wolves roamed at will along with outlaws. No outlaw dared to attack the royal party, the same could not be said for the animals. Morgan recalled a pilgrimage during Edward IV's reign where he, Edward and Richard and the guards accompanying them had been forced to defend themselves against a pack of hungry wolves.

"We will make camp here!" The King announced after hours of riding on the second night. Morgan dismounted his horse and began to assist Thomas and Will in setting up their camp. Once they were finished, they were invited to the royal tent for dinner.

"Morgan, you will sit beside Mistress Lawton," the queen commanded. In the chair next to his was a petite young woman of seventeen in a gown of sapphire blue damask with a matching gable hood.

"Mistress Lawton," he greeted cordially.

"My lord," she murmured, her head bowed.

"I have not seen you at court. Have you just been given your appointment to the Queen's household?"

"I have been one of Their Graces' wards since my parents' deaths."

"I am sorry for your loss Mistress Lawton. Who were your parents? Perhaps my father knew them."

"Edmund and Rosamund Lawton," the girl replied.

"Ahhh Edmund. I remember my father telling me stories about their youth in the service of His Grace's grandfather. Your parents were two of his dearest friends."

"Forgive me my lord but my father never mentioned you."

"My birth was a closely guarded secret. My father was not one to boast and he wanted to protect my mother's reputation. She was not of noble birth and he loved her very much."

"She has passed away?"

He nodded. "A few years ago. It was her wish that I come to court, and my father felt it was time I come to court to find a wife."

"Their Graces will find a husband for me." She looked around. "I…I would want to live in the country like your father. Court life can be so….so…"

"Frustrating," he finished. "Aye, it can but I always do my best to keep up with it all. You will too." He reached for his goblet of wine, his hand brushing against hers.

"Play!" The King commanded the musicians.

Morgan smiled and rose to his feet. "May I dance with you, mistress?"

She smiled shyly. "You may, my lord."

Her hand was trembling as he clasped it in his and led her into the center of the tent where the others had already chosen their partners. The King and Queen were dancing together, the King taking great care that the Queen did not overexert herself.

"You dance very well mistress." Morgan praised his partner.

"I….thank you, my lord."

"Morgan," he corrected.

"Pardon?"

"I am named for my father and I grow tired of this formality. You may call me Morgan and I would prefer to address you by any other name than 'mistress'."

"My name is Elizabeth…but everyone calls me Bess."

He smiled. "Very well….Bess."

She was only a child the last time he'd seen her, but Bess Lawton had grown into a lovely young woman he was eager to learn more about.

_There are many beautiful women here. Why is he dancing with me?_ Bess thought. She'd never thought of herself as beautiful and some of the other ladies teased her mercilessly about her appearance no matter how hard she tried to improve it.

_He is being kind_, she told herself. _Nothing more. _

Once the music stopped Lord Mayford bowed and raised her hand to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

"I would like to dance with you again Bess," he murmured and raised his head, his eyes meeting hers. "Will you walk with me?"

Her eyes widened. "Alone? My lord….!"

He held up his hand. "No, no, my sister and her husband would accompany us. I would not want your good name ruined by malicious gossip."

"I must ask Her Grace," Bess said nervously.

"Of course, you should. Shall we?"

She nodded, feeling the cold eyes of some of her fellow ladies on her as Morgan approached the Queen with her on his arm.

"Ah dear Bess….and Lord Mayford!" the Queen greeted with a smile.

"Your Grace I would like your permission for Mistress Lawton to walk with me. Lord and Lady Danvers will accompany us."

"You have my permission, Lord Mayford. This part of the country is lovely in the evening and I do believe you may be able to see the stars this evening."

He smiled. "Thank you, Your Grace."

Jane observed her father, her lips curving into a small smile.

"Are you going to use one of your spells?" Will asked coldly.

"There's no need. She is as taken with Papa as he is with her," Jane murmured.

"But she doesn't know he's…."

"My father deserves to be happy again and I will see that he is!" Jane hissed.

"Not through your dark magic, wife!" Will warned. She glared at him. "Brother, Mistress Lawton!" she greeted warmly when Morgan and Bess approached them.

"Would you join us in our walk?" Morgan asked her.

You know I will Papa. She's lovely, she sent.

I never imagined she would grow into such a beautiful young woman. Oh Jane, I wish to court her, but would she welcome it knowing I am an old man?

You are not old Papa and you deserve to be happy again.

As they walked Bess talked of her childhood in Norfolk. Suddenly Morgan burst into laughter.

"I remember a story my father told me once of him and your father."

"Oh, please tell me! Papa rarely spoke of his youth!"

"It was the day he was knighted. He was knighted under King Richard and few know it, but the King had a mischievous side to him that he only showed around his friends. The King, Papa and at least ten other men burst into your papa's quarters very early in the morning and pulled him out of bed for his bath. Every knight must be bathed before the ceremony, but the King had a habit of pulling pranks on them during it."

"What did he do?"

"He put a mouse in the tub."

"Oh dear!" Bess giggled. "What did Papa do? He didn't like mice!"

"He….he…jumped out of the tub and ran down the hall starkers!" Morgan laughed. "My father finally found him in the kitchen."

"Papa did say he thought of your father like a brother."

Morgan nodded and gazed up at the sky, smiling. "And there they are…the stars our Queen has promised us."

He took her hand and they sat down on the grass, gazing up at the stars twinkling in the sky above them.

"_The moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever_," he quoted softly.

"_You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you…" _she murmured.

"_Love will not be constrain'd by mastery._

_When mast'ry comes, the god of love anon_

_Beateth his wings, and, farewell, he is gone._

_Love is a thing as any spirit free._"

"_Who shall give a lover any law?' Love is a greater law, by my troth, than any law written by mortal man."_

"You have read Chaucer?" he whispered.

"My father had a copy of his work. I believe it was given to him by your father."

Morgan smiled at the memory. "It was."

He reached for her hand and to his delight she allowed him to take it. "Bess…" he began nervously. "If I…if I asked Their Graces for blessing to pay court to you would…would I have your blessing as well?"

"You….you wish to court me?"

"You seem surprised."

"I…I am," she stammered.

"Why? Is it because I was born on the wrong side of the blanket?" he inquired sadly.

"No! You are a kind man and I am honored you wish to court me."

"Then I have your blessing?"

"Yes."

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. "You have made me a very happy man this evening, Elizabeth Lawton!"

"Why?"

"Why what, sweet Bess?"

"Why me of all the more beautiful ladies at court?"

He stared at her in shock. "You don't believe you're beautiful?"

She shook her head sadly. "I have been told I am rather plain."

He scowled. "I have met many women whose beauty conceals the rot in their souls, and you are not one of those women, sweet Bess. You may not think of yourself as beautiful, but I do, and I intend to prove this to you."

He helped her to her feet. "I will speak to Their Graces when we return."

"Shouldn't we be going back?"

"Are you ready to?"

"I must confess I am not," she said. "Morgan….look!" She pointed up.

"Mmm…a shooting star. Do you know in some cultures you can make wishes upon stars?"

"You can?"

"Oh yes."

"I have never heard of this before. Wouldn't it be heresy?"

"No, I don't believe so."

"How do you make a wish…and what do you wish for?"

"You just speak your wish in your mind."

"Who grants it?"

"It's like praying to the Lord. He may not always answer but He does hear you."

_Please, let this not be a dream and Lord Mayford does wish to court me. _

_Let this be the woman I have been searching my whole life for! _

"How will I know if my wish was granted?"

"The same way I'll know if mine was."

He helped her to her feet, and they could hear the music playing again in the royal tent. Morgan bowed and held out his hand. "May I dance with you again, Mistress Lawton?"

"You may Lord Mayford."

Jane gestured discreetly and a shower of leaves cascaded down upon them.

There was a slight chill in the air but neither of them felt it.

"We may be having another wedding at court soon Cate," The King remarked to the Queen while they observed the couple from their hiding place behind one of the trees.

"May they be as happy as we are Henry," the Queen murmured, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Oh I have no doubt they will be," Henry said confidently. "Now let's go back. I suspect Morgan will be coming to us to ask permission to court her." His eyes twinkled mischievously. "Perhaps I'll jest with him a bit first."

"Henry!"

"Oh, all right. No sense in torturing the poor man," he laughed, linking her arm through his and escorting her back to their tent. Morgan and Bess returned a short time later and as Henry predicted, he requested a private audience with them.

"I would like your permission to court Mistress Lawton," he announced.

Henry grinned. "You have it, old man!"

"And you have my blessing as well Morgan," the Queen added. "But I must insist that at some point you tell Bess the truth."

Morgan sighed heavily. "I know I must, but I fear she will not want to be courted by an old man."

Catherine took his hand in hers and patted it gently. "She may surprise you, Morgan. Don't lose hope. I know I will not."

"Neither will I. You've been alone too long Morgan and you need more heirs for Mayford," Henry added. "My mother would be angry if me if I didn't do everything in my power to help you."

"I feel I am blessed to have such dear friends as Your Graces," Morgan said softly.

They arrived at Walsingham a few days later though Bess saw little of Lord Mayford. On the second day she became concerned for his wellbeing and sought out Jane.

"I have not seen Morgan today," Bess said to Jane.

"He is unwell," Jane informed her.

"Oh! Is it…is it a plague?"

"No. His head aches as my father's often does." Jane smiled. "Perhaps a visit from you will lift his spirits."

She took the younger girl to their tent. Morgan lay on his bed, a cloth over his eyes.

"I have brought someone to visit you."

"If it's that damned physician tell him to hit the cobblestones because I'll not be drinking any of his blasted potions!" he grouched.

"Morgan," Bess said gently.

"Bess," he murmured. "I am sorry I have not been able to see you today."

"Jane says you're unwell."

"Aye these blasted head aches keep me abed for a day at least but my da….but Jane's potions help." He sighed and lifted the cloth from his eyes. "Oh, what's the sense! You'll know soon enough. Jane, release the spell!"

"Papa!"

"Do as I say."

"Morgan, why is Jane calling you 'Papa'?" Beth asked.

"Because I am her father," he confessed sadly. "I'm not the illegitimate son of the Earl of Mayford. I am the Earl of Mayford."

"But that's not possible. You would be older than my father!" she exclaimed.

"I am older than your father. I am close in age to Lady Salisbury, but I do not age as others do because I am not from this land."

"What? I don't understand."

"Papa, I thought we agreed we would break this to her gently."

"I'm trying to!" he protested.

"And doing it poorly," his daughter countered. "Let me. You need to rest or your head will ache worse."

"It's not my head that aches more at the moment," he moaned. She waved her hand and he collapsed on the bed.

"He'll sleep now."

"You….you're a witch!" Bess gasped.

"But not one you need fear Bess." Jane waved her hand over her father again, releasing the glamour spell. Bess gazed down at him, seeing few differences except for a few strands of silver in his hair. "Come. We need to let him sleep."

Bess followed her out of the tent, still numb with shock.

"Please, tell me what is happening. I am so confused!" Bess wailed.

"I know this is going to be difficult for you to believe and understand but there is one thing I do need you to understand. No matter what my father is, he does care for you and wants to continue courting you if you will have him once you know the truth."

Bess listened as Jane began to tell her father's story. It was as difficult to believe as Jane warned her it would be. She sat on the grass sobbing quietly, her mind struggling to process everything she'd seen and heard.

"I will inform Their Graces I am withdrawing my courtship and a younger man is free to seek your hand," she heard Morgan say hoarsely. "I am sorry sweet Bess. I did not mean to hurt you, but I feared you would not be able to accept me if you knew what I am."

"Papa, you should be in bed!" Jane scolded.

"It no longer matters," he mumbled.

Bess brushed the tears from her eyes and stood up. "You could have continued your deception and I would have been none the wiser but you have chosen to trust me with the truth…..as unbelievable as it sounds yet I cannot deny what I have seen…your daughter performing magic and your true self."

"An old man," he said bitterly.

"What did you tell me the day we met, my lord earl? 'You may not think of yourself as beautiful, but I do, and I intend to prove this to you.' Every day since that day you have made me see myself as I never dared to before so now I must prove to you that you are not an old man. You will not withdraw your courtship of me, Morgan Whitmore. Use any spell you wish at court but in private court me as your true self."

"I…I…how I've been with you…that is my true self." He wiped tears from his own eyes and knelt before her. "Forgive me for deceiving you, sweet Bess."

"I do….Morgan."

"Why do you?"

"Because there's a voice inside me telling me that if I allow you to walk away, I will be making a mistake I will regret for the rest of my life." She reached for his hands and clasped them in hers tightly. He rested his head on them and sobbed quietly.

"Thank you, my sweet Bess, thank you…"

She carded her fingers through his ginger locks, smiling softly, his willingness to allow her to see him at his most vulnerable touching her deeply. She knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around him.

"We should get you back to bed Papa," Jane said.

"I no longer need to go back to bed. I'm feeling much better." He raised his head and gazed into Bess's eyes. "Your beautiful smile is all the medicine I need."

She helped him to his feet, and they started walking back to his tent.

Any memories everyone at court had of the earl's illegitimate son were banished by one of Jane's spells and in their place were memories of the Earl of Mayford's return.

**November, 1510**

To celebrate the impending birth of their heir Henry announced that a grand jousting tournament would be held. Every able bodied man in the kingdom was eager to enter the lists but only the brave dared to joust against the King who did not enjoy losing.

Morgan rode up to where Bess was sitting with the Queen and the other ladies and held out his lance.

"Mistress Lawton, will you do me the honor of allowing me to wear your favors today?" he asked with a smile. She rose and approached him with a blue satin ribbon and tied it around his lance. Morgan and the King would joust à la plaisance, their lances fitted to reduce the impact. Were the king competing against one of his younger courtiers they would joust à la guerre which was a more aggressive form and more dangerous. Morgan had jousted in this manner in his youth though he found little enjoyment in it.

"Be careful Morgan," she pleaded. He reached for her hand and kissed it tenderly.

The King rode over to Catherine. The Queen rose to her feet and tied her own favor around his lance, glancing over at Morgan nervously as they took their positions in the tiltyard. Bess clutched her rosary beads against her breasts as they rode toward each other, the King's lance shattering against Morgan's shield, several pieces of debris flying into the face of his horse. It bolted.

"Morgan!" Bess cried as Morgan was thrown from the horse. The Queen gasped and pressed her hand to her chest.

"Madre de Dios!" she exclaimed and began to pray.

"Morgan! Morgan!" the King yelled and dismounted his own horse. "Send for the physician! NOW!"

"I…I am alright Harry," Morgan mumbled and closed his eyes. Charles Brandon, Henry Norris and two other men lifted the unconscious earl and carefully carried him over to one of the tents.

"Oh Bess….my dear Bess….I am so sorry," the Queen wept and began to pray with her. Jane jumped out of her own seat and started running to the tent.

"LET ME IN THERE!" she yelled. "LET ME IN THERE NOW!"

"The physician will tend to him," Brandon assured her.

"That charlatan would kill him!" she growled and shoved him aside. Her father was now awake but in terrible pain. Blood soaked through the hose on his left leg.

_You did this Henry Tudor, _she thought angrily while she watched the physician tend to her father.

Catherine held Bess's hand while they waited for news outside the tent, a chair brought for the Queen to sit in. Several hours later he was placed on a litter and taken to a room in the palace. Bess and Catherine spent most of the day in the chapel praying for his recovery until a guard informed them that Bess had been given permission to visit him.

"She will tend to him. Inform the physician," the Queen commanded.

"Bess…" Morgan murmured as he struggled to sit up, his head, back and legs throbbing with pain and fighting the urge to scream but he wouldn't dare show his weakness before a lady.

"You mustn't try to get up!" Bess cried. "You are in pain and need your rest. Lie down now." She carefully unwound the bandage from around his leg and held the poultice over it. When she was satisfied it had done its work, she set it on the table and rewrapped his leg with fresh bandages. As she stood up, he reached out and took her hand.

"Please stay awhile," he pleaded softly.

"You should rest," she insisted.

"I have rested enough." He started to sit up, wincing in pain. She grabbed the pillows and propped them behind his back.

"You must stop exerting yourself or you'll never recover!" she scolded.

"I am not exerting myself."

"You are! Lie back down or I will have you tied down!"

"You wouldn't dare!"

She crossed her arms over her breasts and glowered at him.

"I would!"

"Stubborn woman!"

"Stubborn man!" she countered. "Shall I have Jane come in here and give you one of her potions?"

"You will not! Very well, have it your way," he grumbled. "Have you seen Harry?"

"His Grace is upset you've been hurt. The Queen is with him now."

"Aye, he will be comforted by her. Please do not be angry with him Bess. It was an accident, and this is not the first time I've taken a tumble from my horse."

"You could've been killed!" she cried. "Morgan, please promise me this will be the last joust."

"If that is what you wish but Bess…."

"Do not even say it. You are not an old man Morgan Whitmore!"

He frowned. "A foolish one then. How can I continue to court you confined to a bed?"

She held up her copy of The Canterbury Tales.

"We'll make do, my lord earl. We'll make do," she murmured and began to read to him.

A week later he was given permission to leave his bed though he now needed to use a cane to walk. Part of him feared Bess would eventually tire of the attentions of an old man and seek a younger lover at court but she remained at his side, caring for him as a wife would.

"With your permission I will ask Their Graces for your hand in marriage," he said to her one morning during their walk.

"You have my permission!" she cried. "Oh Morgan, I want to be your wife very much."

"My holdings are small sweet Bess."

"I would wed you if you had nothing!"

He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. "Then, Mistress Lawton, if God so wills it you will be my bride before Christmastide."

**England**

**Winter 1511 – September, 1513 **

There was much to celebrate at the start of the New Year of 1511. Queen Catherine had at last given birth to the son and heir she longed for christened Henry, Duke of Cornwall.

"A son! Morgan, I have a son!" Henry crowed, raising his goblet.

"A fine boy, Your Grace," Morgan praised.

Henry slammed his goblet down on the table. "Now you must have sons of your own on our lovely young ward."

"We would like to be wed at Christmastide."

"You will be. Ah, my precious Hal…Henry IX. My father will be so proud. D'you think Arthur could have done better?"

"You have done well for this country Harry," Morgan said wisely and sipped his wine.

What had begun as a New Year full of hope and promise was now a time of pain and despair as the court mourned the sudden death of Little Prince Hal a month later. Many at court feared for the sanity of the queen who sought solace in prayer as she knelt for hours on cold stone floors. Henry turned his grief and rage against an old enemy….France.

**The United Realms **

**Mayford Manor **

**Summer, 2019**

"….That was my last joust but it wasn't the last time my life would be at risk," David explained. "As I said, I'd fallen from my horse a few times before, but this time took longer to recover from because I was getting older." He smiled. "I have to admit I enjoyed Beth taking care of me."

"He still does," Beth giggled.

"And you don't when I take care of you?" he teased.

"You know I enjoy it," she murmured.

"Well before it gets any hotter out here, shall we continue?" Belle laughed. "You told us before you didn't get married until September, 1522. Why did it take so long?"

"Henry's reign was never without its problems, but the real problems started after Prince Henry's death when he decided he wanted to try to take France like his grandfather did only it was as much a failure as Edward's campaign. He believed Ferdinand would back him, but the Queen's father had a nasty habit of saying one thing and doing another."

"You didn't go to France?"

"No, and I knew why. Henry felt I was too old to be fighting battles. He wanted younger men in his army. I wasn't upset because I could be at home with Beth." He glanced over at Angelique. "Will went to France in my place and was killed during the Battle of the Spurs. Jane was devastated."

"Because I told him he was a fool for going!" Angelique snarled. "And on that day I made my vow that I would make Henry Tudor suffer as we'd suffered!"

"And while my husband was in France, James IV was plotting to invade England," Catherine added. "Henry made me regent prior to his departure, and I vowed I would hold England for him as my parents held Spain and Castille. The odds were against us. James IV had amassed an army of over thirty thousand while we only had twenty-six," Catherine went on. "My husband had taken most of our army to France with him and mobilizing an army in so short a time was difficult. I had no other choice but to ask for the help of many of our older nobles."

**September, 1513 **

Bess stood in the doorway of Morgan's study, weeping silently.

"Morgan, please be careful. Jane cannot lose her father too. I don't want to lose you."

He took her in his arms.

"All will be well my sweet Bess. We will drive the Scots back across their border as we've done so before. Go to Jane. She will need you."

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. "I love you Morgan Whitmore. You will come back to me."

"And I love you sweet Bess. Be a comfort to my Jane."

"I will."

She walked him outside where his men waited. He would be serving under the Earl of Surrey, marching to engage James' troops in Northumberland. He mounted his horse and held up his arm, her blue satin ribbon tied around it.

I love you, she heard his voice say in her mind.

I love you too. Can you hear me now?

I can hear you. I will be home soon sweet Bess.

She watched him ride away, silent tears streaming down her cheeks. Once he was out of sight, she returned to the house to look for Jane. She found the older woman in her rooms, a clay doll in her hand.

"Jane, are you practicing dark magic?" she demanded angrily.

"I am not. I am casting a protection spell. For Papa. The spell I should have done for Will had we not quarreled before he left for France."

There were several strands of ginger and silver hair clutched in the young woman's hand, strands she began to wrap around the body of the doll and started to chant in an odd language.

"Jane, what…?"

Jane ignored her and continued to chant. After a few minutes she set the doll down. "He will be safe now."

"I do hope so Jane. I do not understand these strange rituals you have but if they will bring Morgan safely back to us, do what you will."

"I must rest now," Jane murmured.

"I will wake you in the morning."

After Bess was gone Jane crawled out of her bed and brought out another clay doll. She tied cloth from one of the king's discarded doublets around it and pulled the ends tightly as she chanted. Then she grabbed a knife and excised a small piece of clay from the chest of the doll then tossed it into the fire then thrust a large pin into one of its legs.

"Let the rot within be the rot without," she hissed. "I curse you Henry Tudor, I curse you to a life of pain and misery for the pain and misery you've brought to me and mine!"

She put the doll in a box and returned it to its hiding place beneath the floorboards in her chambers. The next morning, they joined the Queen in her chambers. She was mending some of Henry's clothing, often replacing the lost pearls from his doublets with some from her own gowns. She was pregnant again and once again they were praying the child would be a son.

"Dear Jane, I beg your forgiveness for endangering your father so soon after we've lost our Will. He was a fine man."

"Yes he was," Jane sniffled. "But I could never be angry with you, Your Grace. My father would never refuse a request to defend our country and when he returns it is time he and Bess were wed."

"Jane, your papa and I agreed we would wait…"

"I will not permit you to deny yourselves your happiness for my sake!"

"Jane, if your papa wishes to wait…"

"Your Grace, he's waited long enough! I had many wonderful years with my Will while he was alone. He could've taken a mistress as other men do but my father has never been that kind of man. His heart is loyal to one woman, the one he weds. Pity my mother did not deserve his loyalty."

The King's identity in the jousts was 'Sir Loyal Heart' though Jane and Bess felt only Morgan lived up to the name.

Catherine had her suspicions the King had taken a mistress once again when he'd stopped visiting her bedchamber for the sake of their child and had no doubt he would return to her once he tired of the lady.

She ordered several trunks of fabric to be delivered to her chambers for the ladies to begin making new gowns for Christmastide.

**September 9, 1513 **

Thousands of men, King James himself among them lay dead on the battlefield, the King dead by the hand of the Earl of Surrey. It had been a brutal and bloody battle reminiscent of Henry VII's victory at Bosworth years earlier.

Morgan knelt upon the ground, his rosary in his hands and offered prayers for the souls of the departed.

"Now let them say we're old men, eh Mayford!" Surrey teased.

"I grieve for Her Grace Queen Margaret."

"She made her bed Morgan and now she must lie in it."

"No, her father made it for her," he disputed. "What in God's name is that!?" He pointed to the bloodstained garment in the Earl's hands.

"James's cloak. I am sending it to the Queen."

Morgan snorted. "Tell me you did not strip him and throw him on a horse as Henry's men did with Richard?"

"No, he is a King and will be buried with the dignity due of his office, but we have taken several of his men and will bring them back to England with us until Queen Margaret secures their release."

There were two men awaiting him in his tent in irons.

"May I have your names?"

"Ian McDermott, English dog!" one snarled and spat on his boots. Seconds later he was thrown from his chair as the protection spell on his armor was activated.

"Enough laddie!" ordered the elder. "I am Diarmid McDermott." He eyed Morgan carefully. "Ye're different from the other lords. Surely ye sense it Ian….he is like us."

"What do you mean?" Morgan asked him.

"Ye hae the Sight mon. Aye, I sense it in ye."

"I've heard of you. Of both of you. They say you dabble in magic."

"Aye and we're no' ashamed of it, lad but tell me, why d'ye hide yer true nature?"

"Because I would be burned as your sister was burned. Do you intend to use your magic on me? It would do you no good for I suspect my daughter has warded me against it."

"Aye, she has."

Morgan frowned at the men. "You betrayed your king. I watched you."

"Did yer Lord Stanley no' betray Richard?" Diarmid inquired.

"Aye. To give his stepson the crown but what excuse have you my lord?"

"Vengeance. He burned our sister. Flesh for flesh Lord Mayford."

"Do you now intend to have your vengeance on England?"

"Nay. Our will is done. We would like to meet yer lass."

"Out of the question!"

"We will meet yer lass," Diarmid's eyes narrowed to slits as he stared at Morgan.

"A compulsion spell. Charming but ineffective. My daughter warded me against those years ago. I will not expose her to your dark magic."

"Mayhap not but she hae a wee bit o'darkness in her now dinna she?"

"We all do but giving in to our darkness accomplishes nothing. Pray Queen Margaret secures your release for if you attempt to use your dark magic in this country you will burn at Smithfield!"

He stormed out of the tent.

"We will meet the lass Ian," Diarmid reassured his brother. "She is the bride we hae been promised. Patience, brother. Soon the McDermott willnae be the branch of bastards. We'll breed ourselves into the noblest houses in England and Scotland."

While they waited for news Catherine and her ladies had taken up residence at Woburn Abbey. Early one morning a page informed the Queen that a messenger had arrived with news of the battle.

"Bess, Jane, come with me!" she instructed.

"Sir Thomas Hawley!"

Bess and Jane's eyes widened with shock and horror when the messenger entered the room, a torn and bloodstained surcoat in his hands.

"Your Grace, we are victorious!" he announced. "King James is dead, slain on the battlefield." He held up the surcoat. "Your prize, the very surcoat he wore! Our own losses were few…fifteen hundred or so."

"Was the Earl of Mayford among the casualties?"

"No, Your Grace."

"Praise God, he's alive, he's alive!" Bess sobbed in Jane's arms.

"A letter for you Mistress Lawton."

She clutched it to her breast and broke the seal.

_My sweet Bess and Jane_

_We are victorious. The Scots have been defeated and King James has been slain on the battlefield. Our losses were few and I pray those brave men are at peace in the Lord's house. We have captured some Scots nobles and Jane I beseech you to cast wards upon the land as two of them are the McDermott warlocks. They have taken an interest in you and I fear their intentions are not honorable. Guard yourself well daughter. _

_Sweet Bess, upon my return I will ask Their Graces if we may leave court and return to Mayford. I long for you to see the beauty of a life in the country for I intend for us to live out our days there than at court once we are wed. I grow weary of its intrigues and gossip. I will petition Their Graces for permission to wed you once all other matters are settled. _

"Let the McDermott come. I do not fear them," Jane growled. "At last! You and Papa will be wed as you deserve to be, and you will come with us to Mayford. Oh you will love it there, Bess!"

"If Their Graces give us permission."

"They will. The Queen never refuses us anything. She is such a sweet lady."

"Aye, she is. She is."

There was much excitement at court when the men returned from their victory at Flodden, many expressing behind closed doors that the Queen's victory was far greater than the King's in France as her men had slain an anointed king while his greatest prize had been a captured duke. Morgan was relieved they would soon depart for Mayford.

"I cannot wait for the day when I make you my bride," Morgan murmured, holding Bess closer and nuzzling her neck.

"And I long for the day you will be my husband." She laid her head on his shoulder. They were husband and wife in their hearts lacking only a formal wedding and consummation though the temptation to surrender to their desires became more difficult to resist as time passed.

"I pray nothing will come between us now."

"As do I sweet Bess, as do I."

They would soon learn that nothing was certain in the Tudor court.


	10. The Nymph From Heaven

**The United Realms**

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer, 2019**

"…I had every intention of marrying Beth before Christmas in 1513 but as I said before, Henry's reign had its problems and they started after little Hal's death," David said.

"I realized Henry was pulling away from me," Catherine added. "I was pregnant before Flodden and this child was stillborn as was my first though I wanted to keep trying for as long as God willed me to."

"I began to distrust Catherine's father," Henry said bitterly. "He'd vowed to support me during the French campaign but when it came time to act, he did nothing and wars cost money."

"One of the last pieces of advice I gave my eldest son was this," began Henry VII. "'When I came to the throne there was no public law, no constitutional observance. A hundred thousand men had died in the wars and people spoke of the divine wrath. But it was not on that account that our house toppled. It fell for lack of money. Money, my Lord Prince. Every groat that enriches me enriches this kingdom. Every gold piece that separates me from my people secures the throne for you and gives this country the respect of Europe.'" He glared at his younger son. "And YOU squandered it!"

"And married me off to an old man!" Mary Tudor Brandon snarled when she appeared on the lawn beside her second husband, Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk.

"Margaret was married to James," her brother reminded her.

"But Louis was much older!"

David sighed heavily. "Now you know the next reason why Beth's and my marriage delayed. Henry didn't trust Louis to keep his word either so he decided to send me to France and thankfully Beth was allowed to go with me as one of Mary's ladies."

"Making advantageous matches for my sisters was part of my father's strategy so it became my strategy as well," Henry added. "Ferdinand's betrayal would come at a price: I would not allow his grandson to wed my sister and had her formally denounce the betrothal."

"I saw Wolsey's hand in arranging the French match. The Valois were the mortal enemies of my family," Catherine said bitterly.

England

October, 1514

Behind his back Morgan's hands were clenched into fists, his blood boiling. Once again, his wedding to Bess would be delayed as they'd been given orders to accompany the King's youngest sister Mary to France for her wedding to King Louis XII. Bess would serve as one of Mary's ladies while Morgan would serve as one of Mary's escorts.

"You will be my eyes and ears in France. I do not trust Louis."

"Your Grace I doubt the King will let me stay."

"Plead your years Lord Mayford, and that you do not wish to be parted from your betrothed. Do this service for me and you can wed Bess upon your return. Do not be cross at me old friend."

"Do you know how difficult it has been these past few years, Harry?" Morgan demanded angrily.

"Have you bedded her yet?" the King asked with a grin.

"You know damned well I have not!" Morgan snapped. "I will not take her to my bed until we are properly wed and the longer we wait, the older I get! There will come a time when I cannot be a proper husband or sire a child! I want your word Bess and I can be wed when we return from France."

"You have my word but what are you so worried for? Your daughter can cast one of her spells."

"I'd rather she didn't."

He found Bess in Princess Mary's quarters with the other girls that had been chosen to serve her, the youngest Thomas Boleyn's daughter Anne. Anne had been serving Margaret of Austria while her father was the Low Countries ambassador. She was younger than the other ladies and well educated which made her an asset to any noble household. Anne's sister Mary had also been secured a place in the future Queen's household.

"Lord Mayford, welcome!" Princess Mary greeted. "Anne, Mary, may I present Morgan Whitmore, Earl of Mayford."

"Mistress Anne, Mistress Mary," he greeted. Young Anne giggled.

"You are Mistress Bess's betrothed!"

"I am."

"Lord Mayford, I am sorry," the princess murmured.

"You have nothing to be sorry for Your Highness. I am honored that I will be accompanying you to France. May I have a moment with my betrothed?"

"You may."

Morgan took Bess's hand and led her down the hall to his quarters. Once the door was closed behind them, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her ardently.

"Bess! Oh, sweet Bess I am so sorry!" he moaned. "I pray the king will honor his promise to me that we will be wed when we return from France. He does not believe we will be there long."

She laid her head on his shoulder. "I fear he will find another excuse to delay our wedding. Sometimes I feel you should marry someone else…someone who isn't a royal ward."

"How can you say that!" he exclaimed. "Have you stopped loving me?"

"No! No! I could never love anyone but you!" she cried. "And there are times…." She crossed herself. "May God have mercy on me, there are times when I would be content to be your mistress if they will not let me be your wife!"

"Bess, sweet Bess, you are the only woman I want but I wouldn't dare subject you to the scorn and derision of being a mistress!" He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tightly as he deepened the kiss and they began moving backwards until his knees bumped against the edge of the bed.

"Morgan…" she moaned.

He cursed the King as he fell back onto the bed still holding her in his arms, her hood falling to the floor. He would be sent to the scaffold, his head struck from his body with the axe if they were discovered but these few moments of bliss he had with her would be worth the risk.

"Bess….sweet Bess…forgive me…." he whispered, attempting to sit up.

"No, not yet. Hold me," she pleaded.

"If we don't stop now, I'll want to make love to you."

"Then make love to me," she whispered.

"I can't….we can't…it'll be treason…"

"Then we can die in each other's arms! I am not like her! I will give myself to you and only you!" she sobbed.

He reached up and gently brushed the tears from her eyes. "Sweet Bess I never thought you were like Anne. But you can only give yourself to me when we have been properly wed."

"Perhaps the Princess will persuade the King to allow us to wed in France," Bess suggested. "We would still be doing our duty."

"I don't know what thoughts are in his head these days," Morgan confessed sadly. "He has changed much since the prince's death and the situation in France and I have seen darkness around him. It frightens me Bess!"

She laid her head on his chest. "The Queen cannot understand his reluctance. Were she the only one whose permission I needed we would have been married with many children years ago! She raised her head, her eyes meeting his. "Morgan, my love, what if the King wishes to deny our chance at happiness because he is unhappy with the Queen?"

"Why us, Bess? That is what I cannot comprehend! Have we offended him in some way?"

"You've known him longer than I."

"Sometimes I feel I don't know him at all," he sighed as he stroked her hair. "Ah Bess, let's not spend these few moments we have talking about the King."

"The Princess will be concerned if I am gone too long," she reminded him sadly. "Though I want nothing more than to lie here with you even if we cannot make love."

"There are many ways of making love sweet Bess," he murmured and rolled over on the bed so that she lay beneath him. "Forgive me. I am not hurting you, am I?"

"No." She reached up and carded her fingers through his hair as they kissed again. "Teach me, my love."

In the years they'd been courting they'd restricted their intimacies to kisses and brief caresses, the temptation to do more becoming harder to resist the longer the King refused them permission to marry and being together in his bed was the greatest risk they'd taken.

"I want to, God forgive me, I want to, but we must get back to her Highness," he sighed and sat up, straightening his clothing. Bess smoothed out the wrinkles in her gown and replaced her hood. As they were walking down the hall young Anne Boleyn approached them.

"Lord Mayford, His Grace the Duke of Suffolk wishes to speak with you," the girl informed them.

"Thank you, Mistress Anne. We shall see each other at dinner Bess," Morgan said and took his leave.

"Oh, your betrothed is very handsome. Did he kiss you?"

"Mistress Anne!"

"Did he?"

"You should not be asking me such things," Bess scolded gently.

"He did. Does he kiss well?"

"Oh, very well. I shall satisfy your curiosity this one time Mistress Anne. Yes, he did kiss me and yes he kissed me well, but I will say nothing more for what transpires between us when we are alone shall be our secret."

"I wonder if I will have a betrothed," Anne mused.

"I believe you will Mistress Anne. Come, Her Highness is expecting us."

**The United Realms**

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer, 2019**

"The sweet girl I knew in France returned a ruthlessly ambitious woman who let nothing stand in the way of what she wanted, not even our friendship," Beth said bitterly, glaring daggers at Anne Boleyn.

"For the last time that was Henry's doing, not mine!" Anne yelled.

"Lay the blame at my feet yet it was you that convinced me to have Morgan marry your cousin Katherine!" Henry scowled. "You were a witch, using your wiles to gain favors for your family at my court. Then you gave your favors to my closest friends and God knows how many other men!"

"I was innocent. All the accusations against me were false. You knew but you didn't care. You were already grooming that wench Jane Seymour to take my place in your bed."

"Call me a wench once more whore and you'll be in the lake again!" Jane threatened.

"Call me a whore again and I'll drown you in it."

"You can't! I'm already dead."

"Enough!" Henry roared.

Belle gestured and the former queens were silent. "I'll release the spell when it's time for you to speak and not before. Now David and Beth, you met Anne and Mary Boleyn before your departure to France with Mary Tudor for her marriage to Louis XII. Please, continue."

**England**

**September, 1514**

Having once served the King's grandmother Margaret Beaufort Joan Vaux, Princess Mary's governess would serve as her principal lady-in-waiting. Everyone referred to her as 'Mother Guildford'. Mary was content to have her own ladies around her as she did not trust her new husband's people.

As Bess was about to retire for the evening, she discovered the princess still awake, weeping softly. She held an embroidered handkerchief in her hands. Bess's eyes widened with shock when she realized the monogram belonged to the Duke of Suffolk.

"Your Highness…"

"Why could it not be Charles?" she sobbed, clutching the handkerchief to her breast.

"Are you in love with him?" Bess inquired gently.

"Yes!" she cried.

"Does His Grace know?"

"My brother cares nothing for my feelings. I am merely another of his pawns as is your betrothed. You should have been wed years ago yet Henry withholds his consent. Have you ever asked yourself why this is so?"

"I have and neither I nor Morgan can understand why."

"My brother sees no advantage in a royal ward wedding a minor noble. Mark my words Bess, he will use you as he uses me."

"But he has given Morgan his word!" Bess protested.

"As he has given me his word that I will be free to marry whomever I chose upon Louis's death." She scoffed. "'The word of a Henry' he often says to Catherine. She will learn 'the word of a Henry' means little when it does not suit him."

"Your Highness, forgive me but has the affection you have for the Duke passed beyond words?"

The Princess shook her head. "It has not though I wish it had. He is very handsome, as handsome as your earl." She held up the handkerchief. "A token from a joust he won while wearing my favor."

"You must not let your husband see it," Bess advised.

The Princess handed it to her. "You will keep it for me?"

"I will. Your Highness, I know this is not what you long to hear but you must try to make the best of this marriage. Perhaps in time you and the King will grow to love each other."

"Never!" she snarled. "I will do my duty for England and no more!"

Bess sighed. She'd been cautioned by Morgan that Mary could be difficult at times and only Mother Guildford could bring her to heel. The French King would be sorely disappointed if he expected his new bride to be docile. Bess stayed with the princess until Mary had fallen asleep and as she was walking back to her own quarters, she felt someone seize her arm and pull her into another room. She was about to scream when she felt familiar lips on hers.

"Morgan," she whispered.

"Sweet Bess," he murmured.

"You startled me."

"Forgive me but I could not go to my bed without seeing you one more time."

She sighed and nuzzled his neck. "Oh, how I wish I could go with you! Why does the King hesitate? Haven't we done enough to prove our loyalty to him?"

He lit a candle and led her over to a settee.

"I do not know sweet Bess, but I tire of these games he plays with us." He drew her into his arms. "How is the princess?"

"She is heartbroken Morgan. She refuses to show any affection for King Louis because her heart belongs to another."

"Brandon."

"He has spoken to you?"

"Aye, though there was no need. I have been watching him for some time to be certain he has not compromised the princess. Friend or no Henry would have his head on a pike if he suspected they were lovers. But let us not talk about them. This moment is ours and let us enjoy it."

"I love you," she whispered and kissed him again. She stayed with him until they could barely keep their eyes open. While she was walking back to her rooms she paused when she observed a familiar face emerge from the King's bedchamber wearing only a shift. She covered her mouth to silence her anguished cry and ran back to Morgan's apartments, grateful he'd left his door unbolted.

"Morgan, Morgan!" she whispered frantically, shaking him.

"Bess?" he asked sleepily and sat up. "Sweet Bess, what is it?"

"Our poor queen!" she sobbed.

"Sweet Jesu! Has she passed into God's hands?" he demanded. Bess shook her head. "Then what has you so distressed? Talk to me."

"The King….the King…the King has taken Lady Jane Popincourt as his mistress! I have just seen her leave his bedchamber!" She crawled into bed beside him and buried her face in his shoulder. "I will learn to please you as a wife so you will not seek another's affections."

"Bess, sweet Bess," he soothed, stroking her hair gently. "I would never dishonor you by taking another woman into my bed." He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. "You forget, my love, that I was wed to a woman who spurned my affections, yet I remained faithful to my vows until death parted us. Even when you are with child I will wait until you are well enough to return to my bed. Speaking of beds, you must return to yours before we are discovered and rumors that I have compromised you reach the king's ears."

"I pray the day will come soon when I can come to your bed when I choose Morgan Whitmore!"

"As do I sweet Bess, as do I."

As they feared there were now rumors at court confirming Bess's suspicions that Jane Popincourt, the princess Mary's tutor was indeed the King's new mistress and it was also rumored that she and the captive Duke de Loungeville had also been lovers prior to his return to France. She was once again in the princess's service but only until her departure from England as King Louis had expressed his displeasure over a woman of Jane's repute attending his future bride.

**October, 1514**

Morgan stood on the deck of the princess's flagship gripping the rail tightly as he fought back the nausea that plagued him from the moment he boarded, the rough seas they'd encountered during the voyage doing little to ease his discomfort. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Bess standing there. She was pale, her own nausea keeping her confined to bed for the first few days of the voyage.

He took her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "I have missed your company sweet Bess, but you should be resting."

"I have missed you more my love," she whispered. "How soon will we make landfall?"

"The captain tells me a few more days." He smiled. "I remember well the first time your father and I were at sea. Neither of us had the constitution for it and spent most of the voyage abed."

"Do you think he and Mother would have given us their blessing?"

"They have. I have spoken to them."

She gasped. "They appear to you as the late King Richard?"

"Aye though Richard has been silent for some time as has our good Prince Arthur. You will see them one day too, sweet Bess. "

She gazed up at the starlit sky, smiling. "Shall we make another wish upon the stars, my love?"

"We shall."

Their wish was always the same, that one day the King would allow them to wed.

**Hôtel de la Gruthuse**

**Residence of King Louis XII**

**October 9, 1514**

His 'nymph from Heaven' had arrived at last and on the feast day of St. Denis, Princess Mary Tudor would become Queen of France. They had been wed by proxy prior to Mary's departure from England and King Louis, eager to claim his bride, insisted they wed again upon her arrival.

Bess and Morgan could not help but dream of their own wedding as they watched Princess Mary in gold and ermine march down the aisle escorted by the Duke of Norfolk and the Marquis of Dorset in King Henry's stead to the canopied altar where King Louis waited also adorned in gold and ermine. King Henry had also insisted that his sister wear some of her finest jewels as a reminder of England's great wealth. It had rained during the procession and only the future Queen had been spared from being soaked to the skin.

Though she was nervous the Queen gave no hint of it that evening as she danced among her people, now English and French.

Morgan and Bess smiled while they watched young Mistress Anne Boleyn dance among the young men of the Queen's entourage.

"She has adjusted well to court life. I suspect she will rise high in any court she serves in," Bess predicted. "Morgan? Morgan!"

"The falcon will rise above the shadow of the pomegranate and the shadows of the past will lead her down the path to despair," he murmured then shook his head. "Bess? What happened?"

"You saw something! What was it?"

"I'm not certain. The images are scattered. What did I say?"

"Something about a falcon and a pomegranate. Morgan, I believe you saw something that concerns the Queen!"

"Queen Mary?"

"No! Queen Catherine! Morgan, her badge is the pomegranate! You must try to remember what you saw, and we must warn her!"

"I will try to remember more. For now we must prepare our lady for her first night as a bride to the King."

"She is terrified," Bess confessed. "Morgan, what transpires between a man and a woman on the wedding night?"

He flinched. "Has no one instructed you?"

"I was told I must take instruction from my husband. I know we must make love, but I do not know what to do! I've been told that I must lie still and let you do what you will."

"Sweet Jesu! It is no wonder many women fear lovemaking so! Come, we will discuss these issues in private."

He took her hand and took her upstairs to his quarters, shocked when no one seemed concerned enough to accompany them. Morgan discovered that many women were permitted to be in the company of man without escorts at King Louis's court.

"Now then," he said after handing her a glass of wine and joining her on the settee. "I don't know whom you've been speaking to, but they've made what transpires between a husband and wife and lovers in the bedchamber seem unpleasant. Do you recall my telling you there are many ways to make love, sweet Bess?"

"Yes…"

He took her glass from her and set it on the table. "I am not saying there won't be some discomfort the first time we lie together but I will be as gentle as I can." He reached out and caressed her cheek. "You do not fear my kisses, or my touch and they are part of making love."

"No," she whispered as he kissed her. "I would never fear you. I love you…"

He lay back on the settee and pulled her down to him, removing the pins from her hair, carding his hands through her chestnut locks. "I will never give you reason to fear me, sweet Bess. That first night we are wed I would see you as God fashioned you," he said huskily. "As you will see me." His blue eyes gazed deeply into hers. "I am no longer a young man, but I have not forgotten how to love a woman properly."

In her eyes, he was not the old man he'd often claimed to be. In his arms she was not the plain old maid the other ladies at court claimed her to be.

"I never doubted you," she murmured, laying her head on his chest. "I am not ready to return to the festivities. Let me stay with you longer."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Morgan called out.

"My lord Earl," came young Anne Boleyn's reply. "Her Grace is asking for you…and Mistress Lawton."

"Oh no!" Bess moaned. "She will tell her father and he will inform the King!"

They got up and fixed their clothing before admitting the young maid into the room. Anne looked up at them and smiled.

"I can be discreet," she informed them.

"About what, Mistress Anne?" Morgan demanded.

"You wish to be alone. I will tell no one."

The couple had little time to ponder the young maid's words as it was time for the new Queen to retire with her husband.

The Queen was distressed when she learned many of her countrymen and women would be sent back to England. She'd been permitted to keep a few English ladies to serve her, young Anne Boleyn and her sister Mary among them but Charles Brandon, Morgan and Bess would be among those sent back to England. Mary pleaded with her husband to allow her family's dearest friend and betrothed to remain in France over Christmas but could not persuade Louis to grant Brandon permission to stay. With so many other ladies to serve the Queen, Bess and Morgan were given more time to be alone than they'd ever had in King Henry's court, one of their favorite pastimes enjoying an evening walk in the gardens at Fontainebleau.

"Forgive me if I am not eager to return to England after reading Jane's letter," Bess admitted to her betrothed.

Her most recent letter brought them the distressing news that the Queen had given birth to another stillborn son and the King in his desperation had asked Jane if she could try one of her spells to help the Queen conceive again. Jane was hesitant, fearful the spell would go wrong and harm the Queen. Her father still knew nothing of the spells she cast on the king and while her father was away, she'd been keeping company with the McDermott prisoners. Believing them responsible for her husband's death at Flodden, Queen Margaret was content to let them be her brother's problem for the time being.

"King Louis will not let us stay no matter how much Mary has pleased him."

"Perhaps he'll change his mind."

Morgan smiled. "Perhaps."

**Christmas, 1514**

The new Queen of France was determined to make her first Christmas away from home as joyous as possible and her King, still enamored with his 'nymph from Heaven' spared no expense for her to do so and would even participate though his battles with gout had worsened over the holiday. The physicians pleaded with the King to rest more but he refused, eager to get his new bride with child before the year's end.

Mistress Anne was true to her word and said nothing though she had observed Bess waiting until Mother Guildford retired before she made her visits to Lord Mayford's quarters and not returning until very early in the morning. She shared a room with Anne and her sister Mary, the Boleyn sisters curious as to what transpired between the couple in the Earl's chambers, yet Mistress Lawton showed no signs of being with child.

"We should not be doing this," Morgan confessed sadly after she'd come to his chamber that Christmas Eve though he found it impossible to turn her away when his nights were more bearable now that she stayed with him until morning. They would only kiss and caress each other, never once removing their clothing until they drifted off to sleep with him holding her close to him.

"Do you want me to go?"

"No, sweet Bess I do not want you to go," he whispered, swinging her up in his arms and carrying her over to the bed. The temptation to make love to her was becoming increasing difficult to resist yet he knew the price for doing so would be his head on a pike on London Bridge.

"And I don't want to go," she moaned. "I love you Morgan. I love you so much I would defy my King and marry you here!"

He broke free of her embrace with great reluctance and reached for a velvet box on the table. "The first of many gifts," he said with a smile and handed it to her. She opened it and found a gold ring with rubies in the shape of a rose inside.

"Oh Morgan!" she cried. "It's beautiful!"

He took the ring out and slid it onto her finger, raising her knuckles to his lips.

"You are beautiful sweet Bess."

He'd commissioned a jeweler in Paris to make a matching ring and necklace for his betrothed and with her allowance from Queen Catherine and King Henry she'd been able to purchase a ring with sapphires the shade of his eyes.

She handed him the box she'd been carrying and placed the ring on his finger, lowering her head to kiss his knuckles.

"You are the greatest gift God has given me sweet Bess, but this ring is lovely." He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him as he deepened the kiss they lay back on the bed.

"It is snowing again," she said to him later while they lay in bed in each other's arms gazing out the window.

"Are you cold? Shall I add more wood to the fire?"

"No. Being here with you warms me enough," she murmured, nuzzling his shoulder. "Will you hold me like this when we do make love?"

"Always, sweet Bess. I am not the sort of man who takes his pleasure and returns to his own bed for the night. Would you object to us sharing a bedchamber?"

"I want no barriers between us," she said firmly. "I will not be Anne Claycombe. I will share all with you, my love and I will bear you as many children as you desire."

He laughed softly. "Such ambition you have!"

"I want to be the wife you deserve."

"As I wish to be the husband you deserve." He sighed. "Morning comes too soon. You must go back to your quarters before we are discovered."

She rose from the bed and kissed him one last time before she returned to her quarters, Mary still asleep in the bed they shared. As in England, the ladies were required to share a bed. Anne shared hers with another of the Queen's ladies. As she climbed into bed Mary groaned and rolled over, accustomed to Bess's late-night wanderings.

Mother Guildford woke them a few hours later to bathe, dress and attend the Queen.

"Your new ring is lovely Mistress Lawton. A gift from your betrothed?" the Queen asked.

"Yes," Bess replied with a smile.

The Queen gazed at the ring longingly. "You are fortunate to have a man who loves you and that you love so deeply."

"Your Grace, the King loves you," Mother Guildford reminded her.

"I fear he does too much," the Queen confessed. "His gout has worsened since we were wed." She frowned. "And I fear the ambitions of Francois."

Francois, the Duke of Valois was the king's cousin, son-in-law and current heir to the throne, wed to the King's daughter Claude, the Duchess of Brittany. She had been barred from inheriting the throne as all female offspring of Kings were, the crown would pass to her husband and male heirs should King Louis die without another male heir.

Bess and Morgan had little affection for the King's heir, believing him to be a notorious rake who was often seen flirting with many of the ladies at court. They were fortunate Francois hadn't turned his attentions to Bess though he had flirted with Mistress Mary Boleyn and some of the Queen's other ladies on occasion.

Once the Queen was dressed, they gathered in the great hall to begin the festivities. The King gifted his bride with more gowns, furs and jewels while her ladies were given gifts by the other men at court.

"For me?" young Anne Boleyn inquired when Morgan and Bess presented her with a small velvet box. She opened it to find a ring with her monogram inside. They'd given an identical ring to her sister.

"You have been a good friend to us Mistress Anne," Bess said softly.

"I have few friends at court and thank you for your kindness Mistress Lawton. It is my wish that we always remain friends."

**The United Realms**

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer, 2019**

"…Would you like to stop for a few minutes?" Belle asked softly while Beth brushed tears from her eyes. She nodded. Anne wept into her handkerchief.

"Why do you weep, madam?" Henry demanded coldly. "You destroyed your friendship yourself."

"As YOU destroyed yours with Morgan in your desire to have me in your bed!" the former queen shouted.

"It was not worth the trouble, was it?" Arthur taunted.

"No," Henry growled.

"Come on sweetheart. Let's take a walk," David suggested. He stood up and reached for her hand. Once they were gone the camera were turned back on and Belle addressed the audience.

"King Louis XII died on New Year's Day 1515 and was succeeded by Francis I and many historians claim that Francis was hoping to make the dowager Queen Mary his wife in Claude's place, but she refused his advances."

"I wanted Mary here and wanted to arrange another marriage for her, so I sent Brandon to bring her back but before I did, I warned him not to make any romantic overtures. He didn't heed my warning," Henry said bitterly.

"I do hope Bess is alright," Mary Brandon said worriedly. Her husband was grinning. "What?"

"I wouldn't be too worried. I think Morgan's giving her all the comfort she needs."

The manor had been deserted when Beth and David returned to it in the spring of 2014, its last resident their grandson Thomas, the third Earl of Mayford. Upon his death the house was sealed up and the family relocated to Whitmore Manor, the new house Thomas had constructed for his family to reside in, free of the angry, tormented spirits that haunted his ancestral home.

"I thought we were just going to take a walk," Beth said when they entered the house.

"We are. Retracing our steps," David murmured as he led her up the grand staircase to the second floor and down the hall to a set of double doors. She smiled knowing those doors opened to the bedroom that had been their sanctuary in their first lives. He opened the doors and scooped her up in his arms, carrying her inside and depositing her on the bed.

"We shouldn't stay too long or Belle will send out a search party," Beth cautioned when he climbed in beside her and pulled her to him.

"Oh, I think they can manage without us for a while," he murmured.

"Mmmm…a comfort party before football season. I might learn to like this. So many of those nights in England and France before we were married, I wanted us to touch each other like this…" she moaned as his hands moved under her cami top.

"Well there's nothing stoppin' us now Sleeping Beauty." He pulled the top over her head and threw it on the chair in the corner.

"Did you have to wear that damn Cowboys shirt?" she complained.

He smirked.

"Well why don't you just take it off?" he challenged.

"With pleasure!" she cried and threw it on the floor.

"Next time that's where I'm throwin your Stinker crap…or in the trash!"

"David…"

"Yes?"

"Shut up," she giggled and kissed him hotly.

"Oh boy," he moaned.

Back at the lake Belle instructed the crew to continue filming with the ghosts of the Tudor nobles and monarchs, eager to hear what they'd witnessed of their friends' lives.

"I wasn't going to be married off to someone else I didn't love," Mary Brandon said firmly. "I knew my brother elicited a promise from Charles that he not ask me to marry him but I wanted him to break it because I loved him."

"Charles Brandon and Mary Tudor were married in secret on March 3, 1515 at the Hotel de Clugny. There were only ten people who witnessed the ceremony one of them King Francis himself."

"Morgan and Bess were two others," Mary supplied. "They knew how difficult it was to be prevented from marrying the one you loved and wanted to be a part of the celebration."

"…Beth's and my decision to support Mary's marriage to Brandon was our first lesson that it wasn't wise to cross a king like Henry Tudor." David said when they joined them later.

"You told me I was free to marry whomever I chose," Mary reminded her brother.

"Not Brandon!" he growled.

"What was the damned difference?" she fumed. "You picked all but one of your wives, I married the old man you bargained me to so I should have been free to make my own choice and I chose Charles!"

"What advantage was that to me?"

"I didn't care whether it was one or not. I loved Charles and I wanted him, no other aging political ally or foe you cast in my direction!"

"Charles was becoming a major player in Henry's court and the Council didn't like it," David explained. "So they opposed it and the French wanted to marry her off to someone that would suit them." He snorted. "Francis certainly didn't take long before he started making advances. She'd only been a widow a week before he pounced."

"Francis I has a reputation of being a rake. Having firsthand knowledge of life at the French court during this period, you're saying those claims are accurate?" Belle asked the couple.

Beth nodded. "Francis was a notorious flirt but carried on some of his affairs in secret. I knew Queen Claude briefly, but she was a sweet lady, as sweet as Queen Catherine."

"Charles, Mary, Beth and I were all scared to go back to England because we were going to be given royal hell…literally. Brandon could go to the scaffold for marrying Mary without the King's permission and I would have married Beth in France too had she not talked me out of it."

"I was already terrified of what would happen to us once Henry found out we attended Mary's wedding."

"Now you know," the former king sneered.

"Gloat all you wish but I had the last laugh!" Angelique taunted.

"Bitch!" Henry hissed. "You should have been burned at Smithfield!"

"But I wasn't, was I?" she laughed. "And as for you, everyone in your court began to see the rot that was in your soul on your body. Your last three wives couldn't love you and one made a great fool of you."

"Jane!" David said sharply. "You've made your point."

"Oh I have Papa, and I relished every moment of his suffering."

Henry's eyes narrowed to slits. "You caused quite the scandal yourself, didn't you…whore!"

"Harry," David's hands clenched into fists.

"I can handle this Papa." Angelique reassured him.

"What punishment did Henry give you for your role in Mary's marriage to Brandon?" Belle queried.

"The worst one he could have possibly given. He separated us," Beth admitted sadly.

**London**

**Spring, 1515**

"Damn Henry Tudor!" Morgan raged, throwing his glass into the fire. He'd been banished to Mayford for a period to be determined by the King while Bess would remain at court.

"Let me use one of my spells and change his mind." Jane pleaded.

"You will not!"

"Papa, you cannot leave court!"

"If I refuse he will strip me of my lands and title….or he'll send me to the block. I dare not risk angering him any further poppet. Mary and Brandon were only spared because she is his sister and Brandon his friend. I pray his temper will cool once the Queen gives him an heir."

"What of Bess?"

"Will you watch over her, daughter?"

"You know I will."

A distraught Bess took to her bed the moment she heard the news her betrothed had been banished from court.

"I will speak to His Grace," Catherine reassured her, stroking her hair gently while she wept into her pillow though she feared Henry would also withdraw his consent for the couple to wed. Leaving the girl to be tended to be her ladies she went in search of her husband.

"Will you reconsider, Henry? You have shown your sister and Suffolk your mercy. Can you not do the same for Lord Mayford?"

"He has betrayed me, Cate. Perhaps a few years in exile will remind him he is MY servant I am not HIS."

"Years! Your Grace, I beseech you…do not do this."

"Who are you to make demands on me?"

"I am your wife…and your queen!" she shouted.

"A queen who cannot give me a living heir! Three sons you have given me, madam and all have been taken from us."

She took his hand and placed it on her belly. "This child will live! I can still give you an heir Henry!"

"Pray that you do madam and leave matters of state to me."

Catherine left his chamber disheartened. Her husband had changed much since their wedding day. Still she believed this child would live and he would love her as he did the day he'd come to her and asked for her hand.

A week later Morgan Whitmore departed for Mayford leaving his heartbroken betrothed and furious daughter at court.

Bess carried on as best she could, continuing to serve the Queen though her heart was no longer in anything she did. Along with being forbidden to see her betrothed, she was also forbidden to write to him as he was forbidden to write to her. She found sleep more difficult without the warmth of Morgan's arms around her or his body next to hers as they had been those nights in France. One night she awoke to find Jane in her quarters.

"Come with me," she pleaded.

"Jane…." Bess gestured to her fellow ladies.

"They are under a sleeping spell and will not awaken until morning." Jane held out her hand. "Take my hand Bess and I will take you to my father."

"How?"

"Please, take my hand!" Jane ordered firmly. Bess stood up and took the older woman's hand. Seconds later they vanished and reappeared outside the hallway on the second floor of Mayford Manor.

"How did you do that?"

"Magic, dear Bess. Now go to Papa. He needs you."

Bess ran down the hall and opened the door. Morgan lay in bed asleep. She pulled back the coverlet and crawled into bed beside him. The moment Morgan felt her thigh brush against his he rolled over and took her in his arms.

"Bess, sweet Bess, tell me this isn't a dream!" he moaned and kissed her.

"Do I feel like a dream, my love?" she whispered.

"If you are, I never want to awaken."

"Jane brought me by magic."

"I feel uneasy when she uses magic, but I will forgive her if it brings you to me."

"I cannot bear being at court without you."

"Nor can I bear being here without you. I am content if you come to me like this."

"I missed those nights in France," she confessed.

"As have I but sweet Bess, you still cannot give yourself to me completely until we are wed."

"If we are ever wed!" Bess said angrily. "We have wounded the King's pride greatly with our support of the Duke and Duchess of Suffolk. I fear he will never grant us permission to wed."

"I have seen nothing convincing me he will not but let us speak no more of it." He kissed her again. "Just let me love you sweet Bess."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him closer, wanting to make the night last as long as she could.

They awoke before dawn, reluctant to leave each other's arms yet they knew they needed to for Bess to be returned to her quarters before Jane's spell on the ladies wore off.

"I will bring her to you as often as I can Papa," Jane promised.

"Thank you, poppet."

Seconds later Bess and Jane vanished again.

True to her word, Jane spirited Bess out of the maids' quarters every evening after they'd retired to Mayford Manor where she would spend the rest of the night in Morgan's arms, their intimacies restricted to kisses and caresses though the desire to do more still lingered between them the longer the King withheld his consent to their marriage.

**Church of the Observant Friars**

**Greenwich, England **

**February 18, 1516 **

After two stillborn sons, a daughter and a son who had only lived a few weeks, Catherine gave birth to a daughter they named Mary. The king was displeased the queen's fifth pregnancy had produced another girl yet hopeful she could still have a living son.

"We are both young; if it was a daughter this time, by the grace of God the sons will follow!" he remarked to the Venetian ambassador.

As Bess and Morgan hoped, the birth of the Princess Mary had soothed the King's temper and a letter was dispatched to the Earl of Mayford inviting him back to court for the christening that would take place on the 20th of February.

"She is a beautiful child Harry," Morgan praised.

"Pray God she lives longer than my Hal," the King whispered.

Morgan froze.

"What do you see Morgan! What do you see?" the King demanded, shaking him. "I command you to tell me!"

_The Queen will claim her throne through the spilled blood of her kin and the fires will burn away the flesh of the faithful_, he thought.

"She will live to claim a crown," he finally said. The King smiled.

"I will make her the finest match in all the realms!" Henry boasted. "Every royal house in Europe will complete for her hand and I will only give it to the one worthy of it! Come, Morgan. We have much celebrating to do."

Many were displeased that Thomas Wolsey had been appointed godfather though no one objected to the Countess of Devon standing as godmother for she was the king's own aunt Catherine. The child's second godmother would be Agnes Howard, mother of the Duke of Norfolk.

"Perhaps now that the King has an heir he will allow us to wed," Bess whispered to Morgan.

"I must be cautious in my approach sweet Bess."

"He has taken Bessie Blount as a mistress."

"Where have you heard this?"

"I have seen her be summoned from our quarters in the evenings after Her Grace retires."

"She is very young, close to the age of Lady Margaret Beaufort when she wed Edmund Tudor, yet she shares a passion for music and dancing as the King." Morgan sighed. "He will tire of her soon enough. He always does."

"Will you tire of me?"

"Never!" he said fiercely and drew her to him. "I will approach him again and ask him to give his consent to our marriage."

**The United Realms **

**Mayford Manor **

**Summer, 2019**

"…I had every intention of asking Henry to give his consent to our marriage not knowing that a scandal was brewing at court under our very noses that would put me in his crosshairs again," David said angrily.

"Are you implying that he found out you were meeting Beth in your rooms alone?" Belle asked him.

"No," Angelique answered. "This time the fault was mine."

"Do tell Grandmother dearie," Rumple said bitterly.

One more person joined the group, this one Channon McDermott, Rumple's cousin and Angelique's descendant.

"When we say we're the bastard branch of the family, we dinna make the claim lightly. We earned it and it began with her," Channon accused, pointing at Angelique.

"Hence why I called her a whore. She was indeed a great whore and she taught Anne all her tricks!" Henry raged.

Angelique smiled evilly. "You didn't think me a whore when I was in your bed!"

"And when was this?" David asked angrily.

"Oh, I can answer that," Anne glared at her former lady-in-waiting. "He was taking her to bed while trying to seduce that wench Jane Seymour."

"I warned you!" Jane growled and shoved Anne's chair. The former queen landed facedown in the grass.

"Is it true? Did you sleep with my daughter?" David demanded of Henry.

"Yes," Henry confessed.

"And you call _her_ a whore?"

"You KNOW why I do. She earned the name and you can't deny it my lord Earl!"

"The scandal everyone is referring to got me banished from court," Angelique informed them.

"So tell us what it was, dearie!" Rumple ordered.

**Richmond **

**Fall, 1517**

Rough hands lifted Morgan out of his bed and shook him awake.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded of the King's men.

"His Grace will see you in his chambers. Now."

"Am I permitted to dress first?" He gestured to his nightshirt.

"No. The King would see you even if you were as God fashioned you!"

_He knows! _He thought worriedly. _Someone has told him Bess has been coming to my rooms at night. _

They dragged him down the hall to the King's chambers. Henry sat in his chair, glaring at him hatefully.

"Your Grace…" he began feebly.

"You have brought a whore into my court, my lord Earl. Fortunately, her indiscretions have observed by few and we will be able to silence the wagging tongues before any more damage can be done."

"Your Grace, I don't understand…"

"You are not aware that your daughter has been taking the prisoners we've been housing to her bed every evening after everyone has retired?"

"WHAT!?" Morgan roared. "From whom have you heard these wild tales?"

"Your daughter has been giving her favors to the McDermott men and now I am told she is with child for I have had her examined once I learned of her wantonness from His Grace the Duke of Buckingham whom has also shared her favors."

Morgan sank into a chair, his head aching fiercely. "Sweet Jesu!" he sobbed.

"She is no longer welcome at my court nor in my country. She and her McDermott lovers will be sent to Scotland."

"My grandchild…"

"Your grandchild will bear the stigma of bastardy unless we take the appropriate action. The child will become one of my wards until you and Bess are wed and if your daughter dares to show her face in my country again, I will have her burned as a witch!"

"No…please Your Grace….she is my only child…"

"A child who shames your good name and you must have another once this unfortunate business is settled. I am withholding my permission for your marriage to Mistress Lawton until I am certain word of your daughter's wicked behavior has not reached too many ears at court. I am also stripping your daughter of her title as heir to Mayford. The earldom will now be vested in the children you and Bess will have once I have given permission for you to wed."

Morgan looked up at him through bloodshot eyes. "Do you think a royal command will frighten her? You are a fool Henry Tudor and you risk much going against her!"

"But she will not oppose you, will she my lord earl?" Henry inquired silkily. "You risk much by opposing me. Perhaps I should wed Bess off to someone else."

"Damn you!" Morgan growled, feeling the bile rise in his throat.

"Then you will do as I command?"

"Yes," he slurred and slid out of the chair onto the floor.

"Fetch the physician!" Henry shouted. "Charles, come in here and help me get him into bed!" he ordered his friend.

"Why did you tell him Buckingham was the one who told you about Jane when it was I?"

"There's no time to explain!" the King said sharply. They carried Morgan over to the bed. Moments later the physician arrived.

"He's had a great shock and must rest Your Grace."

"We will do all that must be done."

Morgan awoke a few hours later, the images that haunted his dreams nearly driving him mad, yet they confirmed his daughter's wickedness with the men at court and the dark Scots warlocks imprisoned in the Tower.

"You have seen what you needed to see?" the King inquired delicately. The older man nodded.

"The darkness is consuming her," he murmured.

"I am sorry Morgan. She leaves me no other choice. I cannot have such a scandal in my court."

Morgan's eyes filled with tears. "She must go back to my world and the evil taint be exorcised from her soul by the High Priestess of Lurline. I will not have those dark warlocks near my child or grandchild again! They have the power to influence minds and attempted to do so with me, but Jane warded me against such spells." He sat up. "I must go to Jane and Bess."

"You should rest."

"I've rested enough."

He went in search of Jane first, finding her in her apartments.

"You will explain yourself daughter," he began coldly.

"You have seen," she whispered.

"Your spells cannot block my sight all the time. Word of your behavior has reached the ears of the king!"

"Papa…." she sniffled.

"Your tears will not soften me, daughter. Explain yourself!"

"I…I cannot!"

"You cannot explain why you played the wanton with those McDermott warlocks when I WARNED you not to trifle with them? And Buckingham? Who else! Who else have you been bedding under my nose?"

"Only those men Papa. No others."

"The child you carry, who fathered my grandchild?"

"I cannot be certain Papa. Please Papa…I could not bear for you to hate me."

"I cannot hate you, poppet but my heart breaks over what you've done. The King is banishing you from court and if he had his way, he would banish you to Scotland but I cannot bear to have you go there. I will summon the goddess Ozmalita."

"My child…" Jane's hands cradled her belly protectively.

"The king plans to have the child taken from you and raised at court until he gives me permission to wed Bess….if he gives me permission. I will speak to him again, plead with him for you to remain here until the child is born. If he agrees we will inform him the child was stillborn. Then you and my grandchild will return to Nonestica under the protection of the Priestess of Lurline."

"I can make him agree."

"You must not use your magic now daughter, especially not dark magic. The more dark deeds you do, the darker your heart becomes. And you WILL NOT MAKE ANY PACTS WITH ALEMEDIA!"

"Yes, Papa." She lowered her head shamefully.

"I must speak with Bess."

Jane burst into tears. Her father kissed her forehead tenderly before he left the room. Once she was certain he was gone she summoned a dagger and slashed her palm, allowing several drops to fall onto the hand mirror on the table.

"_Into the shadows I come _

_Your will be done!" _she recited.

A tall dark-haired woman in a black velvet cloak appeared on the mirror on the wall. Jane clenched her hand into a fist, pressed it against her chest and knelt.

"I am Roxana, High Priestess of the Shadows," the spectre greeted. "Who summons me?"

"Jane Whitmore, daughter of Morgan. I pledge my soul and that of my unborn child to serve the will of Alemedia Demonia if She will grant me my revenge!" she cried.

A dagger appeared on the floor at the young woman's feet.

"The darkness is strong in you and it is strong in your child as it carries within its blood the magic from this world and ours, but it must be made stronger. With this dagger you will bind your soul to the goddess herself and through your union you will have the power to take your revenge! Take the dagger Jane Whitmore and complete your bond!"

Jane seized the dagger and rose to her feet, powers she'd never felt before surging through her body.

_"Into the shadows I come_

_Your will be done!" _she chanted and smiled evilly.

And may Henry Tudor's God have mercy on him for she certainly wouldn't.


	11. The Secret Countess

**The United Realms**

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer 2019**

David stared at his eldest daughter in shock and horror.

"Y….You were a Dark One…" he whispered.

Rumple sighed heavily. "And what I've always suspected was true, my aunt Zorinda wasn't the first Dark One. It was my grandmother."

David's eyes filled with tears. "I begged you NOT to make any deals with that devil, Jane! I begged you! "

Beth drew him into her arms, glaring at her former stepdaughter. "You're lucky I don't have magic bitch, because I'd really like to torch you right now!"

"And you would be justified in doing it," Angelique murmured. "But I've been punished for my dark deeds many times in every life I've lived since then because I've never been able to find you, Papa and I've lost the love of the only other man who meant everything to me. My first husband Will."

"Will died centuries ago," David reminded her.

"One of the pacts I made with Alemedia was that she would resurrect my Will."

"Barnabas is Will, isn't he Angelique?" Beth asked her.

"You would be correct," they heard a voice say. Beth and Tracey Connor smiled at each other as a man who was the mirror image of the late Jonathan Frid as the Barnabas Collins they admired from the classic soap opera Dark Shadows approached them. He'd even adopted the actor's accent.

"I didn't summon you Barnabas," Angelique said softly.

"I used the I-Ching wands to locate you," he explained, referring to a form of Chinese mysticism and divination that had allowed Barnabas to travel through time to change events that threatened the safety of the Collins family. "Hello Morgan. It has been a long time."

"It's David now Barnabas."

"Would you mind terribly if I join you? I know so little about this point in Angelique's timeline." Barnabas asked.

"Everyone is welcome," Belle assured him.

He set his wolf's head cane aside and sat in a chair between Tracey Connor and Beth.

"Before the break Catherine of Aragon had given birth to the couple's only child, Princess Mary," Belle narrated.

"I still wanted to give Henry a son," Catherine said. "And I was able to conceive again shortly after Mary's birth." She sniffled. "But my last child, another daughter, was stillborn."

"When our last child was stillborn I began to doubt I would ever have a living son….until my son Henry Fitzroy was born."

"Also, Jane…or shall I call you Angelique…had been banished from court for lewd behavior."

"You may call me Angelique. Only my father and Beth can call me Jane. Yes, I was banished from court."

Richmond

Fall, 1517

"…We are to be parted again?"

"I am so sorry sweet Bess. The king wants to avoid the scandal reaching the ears of the other courts." He sighed. "You cannot waste your youth waiting for me. If it is your will, I will tell Their Graces that you are free to choose another, younger husband."

"I never want to hear those words from your lips again Morgan Whitmore!" she cried. "I would wait forever for you if I had to! I love you and only you!"

"I must accompany Jane when she returns to our world. It will be strange to her and I must caution you sweet Bess I am not aware whether time there passes the same as it does here. I may only be there for months and it be years here. If it is too long do not wait for me. Marry and have the family you deserve."

She shook her head vehemently. "I will marry you and no other."

He pulled her to him and kissed her. "I love you Elizabeth Lawton."

"And I love you Morgan. May I come to your apartments tonight?"

He glanced around nervously. "Perhaps it would be best if you didn't," he whispered. "Jane and I are leaving for Mayford in the morning until she's delivered my grandchild."

"Then let me come to Mayford," she pleaded.

"I suspect the King is having us watched. I will not have your good name tarnished. No sweet Bess, it is best if you stay here."

Later that night Morgan was startled awake when he heard something moving in his bedchamber. He rolled over was about to reach under the pillow for the dagger he'd kept there since he was a lad when he felt familiar lips on his.

"Bess," he moaned. "You shouldn't….you shouldn't be here…"

"Just let me stay with you until morning," she pleaded.

"If we're caught, we'll be thrown in the Tower or lose our heads!"

"It would be worth it to me. I love you so much. Don't make me leave…not yet…" she pleaded and kissed him again.

"Ah Bess, you know it's difficult for me to say no to you but what if one of the maids in your quarters awakens and finds you gone? They'll rouse the whole palace!"

"Some of them have been leaving their beds at night to meet a lover though they've not been chaste as I am." She made a face and laid her head on his shoulder. "They are notorious braggarts."

"There is something else you haven't told me, isn't there?"

"You know me well, my love." She nuzzled his neck. "They say it is well that I am saving my virtue for an…" She hesitated. "…old man because they say only an old man would want someone so plain, but you are NOT an old man to me!"

He flipped them over and kissed her deeply. "You are not plain to me Bess Lawton and were we properly wed I would show you how much I desire you."

"I am content with as much of your love as you can give me now," she murmured.

The King had been kind enough to let them say their goodbyes to each other that morning before his departure for Mayford Manor unaware that they'd already spent most of the night together.

"Perhaps the time we're parted will not be long sweet Bess but if it is…."

"Do not say it. I will wait. I love you Morgan Whitmore."

"And I love you Elizabeth Lawton."

They kissed once more before he climbed into the carriage beside Jane. Bess waited until the carriage was out of sight before she returned to the palace.

_Sweet Bess,_

_Nothing pleases me more than the news that the King has allowed you to accompany him on his visit this winter. Jane is well and I am told my grandchild will be born sometime in the spring but the visions I have had of him disturb me greatly. Yes, Jane will bear a son and in my visions I have seen a terrible darkness surrounding him. I have no other choice. He must be taken to the Temple of Lurline in Oz to be trained as a light mage by the High Priestess as will my Jane. I will miss them very much, but they will be safe._

_I also have visions of you, sweet Bess and these visions give me hope for in them you are my wife and you have given me many children. I will see you soon._

_With all my love,_

_Morgan_

Bess clutched Morgan's letter to her breast. Her nights had been lonely, sleepless ones since his departure from court and though she longed to go to his bedchamber again when the court arrived at Mayford the risk of being caught was too great. She'd learned much from him on those nights, as much about love and lovemaking as he was willing to teach her. Her fellow maids delighted in telling her tales of their nightly exploits with their lovers. Their wickedness confounded her yet part of her longed for the day when she could experience those moments with Morgan.

Along with her duties to the Queen, Bess enjoyed reading letters from Anne Boleyn. Her young friend wrote to her often, describing her life at the French court in such vivid detail. As Morgan predicted Anne was thriving as a maid of honor to Queen Claude.

_You and the Earl must come to France to see me,_ Anne wrote. _This court is so different from our English one. You would enjoy it here and be wed as you deserve to. I have missed you very much my dear friends._

**Mayford Manor**

**Winter, 2018**

Everyone was in costume as a bandit on the King's orders prior to their arrival at Mayford Manor. It had been some time since he'd indulged in one of his masked games. This time they would be bandits carrying a great prize for the Earl of Mayford, his betrothed. Morgan had participated in a few of those games himself and knew the King preferred his subjects to act surprised when he finally revealed himself.

Upon their arrival the King dismounted from his horse and pulled Bess off hers while the Queen concealed her grin behind her hand on her own horse.

"Come Mistress. Let us see how much your lover is willing to pay for you!" he boomed as he scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the manor. Several of Morgan's men stood in the hall, crossbows armed and pointed at the King. "Tell your lord I want to see him!' the King demanded in his disguised voice while Bess swatted at him gently with her hands.

"You are doing well dear," Henry whispered.

Morgan emerged from his study with his sword in his hand.

"Release my betrothed scoundrel or name your price!" he snarled.

The King named a small sum.

Morgan tossed a purse at him. "Now release her!"

"Would you fight for her my lord Earl?"

Morgan raised his sword and glared at him. "I believe I've answered that question. Now are YOU willing to fight ME?"

The King laughed. "Why, you're an old man! Are you still able to wield that sword?"

"Fight me or prove yourself a coward!" Morgan challenged.

The King handed Bess off to the Duke of Suffolk and drew his sword. The others watched in awe while the two men sparred and soon the King began to tire.

"Do you yield, scoundrel?" Morgan demanded when the King knelt on the floor, his sword slipping out of his hand.

"It is you who must yield now Lord Mayford…to your King!" Henry announced as he stood up and lowered his hood.

"Welcome Your Grace," Morgan said and knelt. Henry took his hand and raised him to his feet. "A fine jest you've played on me. However, I see you've been lax in keeping up with your swordplay."

"Your prize, Lord Mayford." Henry laughed. Charles Brandon brought Bess over and placed her in Morgan's arms.

"My love," Bess whispered and kissed him.

"Come, let's leave the lovers in peace!" Henry winked at his old friend before they departed.

"Bess, sweet Bess, how I've missed you!" Morgan exclaimed between kisses while he carried her into his study and they lay together in front of the fireplace on the makeshift bed he'd made for them. "You must tell me how you've thrived at court."

"I enjoy serving Her Grace. She has been a great comfort to me since you've been away from court as have my letters from our mutual friend Mistress Anne. She would like us to visit her in France."

"I cannot leave Jane. She will be giving birth in the spring but perhaps we can go to France upon my return from Oz."

"What is this Oz you speak of?"

"I suppose you could say it is the capital of Nonestica. The current ruling family, the Ozopov are the descendants of Hades and Persephone themselves."

"I wish the King would let me accompany you."

"Nonestica can be dangerous Bess. As much as I long to have you at my side I fear for your safely. You must remain at court under the King's protection until my return but fear not. We will not leave this realm until Jane has recovered from her ordeal and my grandchild is ready to cross realms."

An hour later Morgan's servant Thomas informed them that the royal party was now settled in their rooms and dinner would be served. Jane remained in confinement on the King's orders, her only visitors her father, servants and Bess.

"Forgive me Bess," the young mother pleaded. "Please know that it was not my intention to anger the King so much he would deny you the chance to marry my father."

"Why did you lie with such wicked men?"

"Have you not felt the stirrings in your own body when you are in my father's company?"

"Aye. I have and many times I've felt the desire to give myself to him, but I know we must not until we are wed in the eyes of God."

"Will you go to him tonight?"

"I dare not risk it with the King in residence."

Jane gestured and a blue silk ribbon appeared in Bess's hand.

"Wrap that in your hair and you will not be seen by anyone when you leave your rooms this night and every night you are here. Go to Papa. He needs you. Even if you do not give yourself to him fully, your presence will be a great comfort."

Later that night Bess left her rooms with the ribbon in her hair, passing the King as he walked down the hall to the Queen's room. The queen was attempting to conceive another child and all the court prayed this time she would bear the son the King longed for. It pleased Bess to see the King taking an interest in his wife again.

When she reached Morgan's door, she was shocked to discover that the ribbon Jane had given her allowed her to walk through it without opening it. She lifted the coverlet and crawled into bed beside him.

"Morgan….my love…" she whispered.

"Bess! Oh Bess, you shouldn't…"

"No one can see me but you."

He smiled in the darkness. "Jane."

"I will lie with you until morning."

"You tempt me greatly."

"As you tempt me."

He laughed and rolled her beneath him. "It took every ounce of strength I possessed not to bring you to my bedchamber this afternoon once Suffolk surrendered you to me."

"I would not have resisted you," she said with a grin. "You bested the King today."

"He hasn't kept up with his swordplay. He should if he goes into battle again."

"You will not be fighting any more battles, my lord Earl."

He laughed. "Already giving me orders, Mistress? We are not yet wed."

"Yes, and my next is that you must kiss me!"

"I humbly obey," he murmured.

They drifted off to sleep in each other's arms a few hours later and Bess reluctantly returned to her room before sunrise.

The royal party departed from Mayford a week later. Morgan and Bess continued to write to each other while he awaited the birth of his grandchild.

"My lord Earl! It's coming! The baby is coming!" shouted one of the servants early one spring morning followed by Jane's anguished cries from her bedchamber.

"Fetch the midwife!" he commanded and ran up the stairs to his daughter's chamber. "Out of the way! I must see my daughter!" he barked at the two women blocking the doors.

"This is womens' work my lord Earl. You will see your daughter when her ordeal has passed," the midwife said sternly when she came into the hallway. Frustrated he returned to his study and composed the message he would send to the king.

Jane was in labor most of the day and at dawn the following morning she gave birth to a healthy son she named Malcolm. The midwife didn't dare inform the Earl that the child had been born with a strange mark upon his person, the devil's mark she suspected. While her assistant tended to the young mother she'd composed a brief message that would be dispatched to the king as speedily as possible.

_The child bears the devil's mark._

The King wouldn't dare bring the monstrosity into his household.

"Well done daughter," Morgan praised and kissed her pale cheek. "Leave us," he instructed the midwife. She glared at him yet obeyed though she remained outside, her ear pressed to the door. Jane though exhausted suspected the old harridan was listening and quickly shielded the room. They were astounding, these new powers of hers.

"Have you written to the king?"

"He will send for Malcolm soon. We must be clever, daughter. How can we claim that my grandson has passed into God's hands while he thrives?"

"I will create a construct. My magic is weakened by the ordeal of birth but strong enough for me to do the spell." She cradled Malcolm to her breast. "He will not take my child from me!"

"No one will take your child from you, Jane."

"We must rest now Papa."

"Of course. I'll see you in the morning." He kissed both before he returned to his study.

"She cannot stay here," he heard a voice say as he stared into the flames in the hearth. "The darkness is consuming her as it consumes Malcolm."

Morgan rose to his feet and knelt before Ozmalita. "I want to keep them at my side as long as I can. She is my only child and he my only grandchild."

"You will have other children and grandchildren Morgan Whitmore."

"If King Henry grants me permission to wed!"

"You are a subject of Nonestica. You do not need his permission. The only blessing you need is from the High Priestess of Lurline."

"Bess is a ward of Henry and Queen Catherine."

"Has one of them given their consent?"

"Queen Catherine has!"

"Bring your bride and her guardian Queen Catherine with you when you return to Nonestica with Jane. You will be wed in the Temple of Lurline."

Morgan burst into tears and kissed her hand. "Bless you Lady Ozmalita…but how will I explain Bess and Catherine's disappearance."

"Constructs will be put in place until they return. They will look and act like your Bess and Catherine. Your King will suspect nothing."

"The Queen may not agree to anything that goes against her husband's wishes."

"You must have a representative from her house before you can be wed."

"I will try to convince her."

_Sweet Bess_

_Jane and I will soon depart for Nonestica but the Ozian goddess Ozmalita has appeared to me and given me hope. If you and Queen Catherine accompany us to Nonestica and she gives her consent before the High Priestess, we can be wed in the Temple of Lurline! The King will suspect nothing as constructs that will look and act like you will appear in your places at court. We will be wed again in England once the king gives his consent. Burn this immediately after reading._

_With all my love_

_Morgan_

Bess raced out of her quarters and down the hall to the Queen's rooms, relieved to find her alone reading.

"I must speak with you urgently!" she whispered.

"Come. We will walk in the gardens," the Queen said softly and rose from her chair. They went out into the garden. "Now then dear Bess, what has you so distressed? Is Lord Mayford ill?"

"Oh no, Your Grace! He is well but…" the younger woman glanced about nervously. "He wishes for us to accompany him and Jane to his world."

"Us? You mean….me?"

"Yes, Your Grace. Please allow me to explain."

Bess retrieved Morgan's letter from its hiding place in her bodice and handed it to the Queen. Catherine read it quickly and shredded it into pieces, tossing the scraps into the pond.

"The King would be angry if we were discovered."

"Your Grace, I wouldn't dare risk the King's wrath falling on your shoulders but…"

"Dear Bess, I know the pain you feel too well. I did not have long to wait you have but you will wait no longer. I will accompany you to this land Morgan calls Nonestica for I admit I am curious to see it."

Bess threw her arms around the Queen. "I am in your debt, Your Grace!" she sobbed.

The Queen expressed a desire to retire early and asked that none other than Bess attend her, something that did not sit well with the younger ladies. If Maria De Salinas sensed intrigue was afoot, she said nothing. Bess could barely sleep, excited that she would be given the chance to see the strange new world her future husband had come from and she would at last become his wife.

Just before dawn Bess and the Queen were teleported out of their chambers to Mayford Manor, the lifelike constructs taking their places in their beds.

Morgan knelt before the Queen and kissed her hand. "I know the great risk you take in doing this Your Grace. Bess and I are in your debt."

"You will repay it once you become husband and wife. Promise me that you will have another wedding ceremony upon your return to England."

"We will, Your Grace."

Jane came downstairs carrying her son in her arms. The boy was four months old. Morgan 's eyes filled with tears as he gazed down at the boy's face. He didn't want to believe the darkness that tainted his daughter's heart could taint the heart of such a sweet child.

The group went outside, and Morgan retrieved a coin from his satchel. He tossed it in the air and a large funnel cloud began to spin toward them.

"Madre De Dios! What is that?" the Queen screamed.

"Join hands quickly!" Morgan instructed. Jane cradled Malcolm to her breast and reached for her father's hand while he held Bess's and Bess's held the Queen's. Bess and Catherine began to pray as they were swept up in the dark cloud.

**Oz (The Outer Zone) **

**The Temple of Lurline **

**September 5, 1519 **

**Five hundred years prior to the Final Eclipse **

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves standing in front of a temple. A group of people wearing while robes approached them, and Morgan began speaking to them in an odd language.

"You are expected Morgan Whitmore. Come," one of the women said and escorted them inside. Catherine and Bess looked around, the Queen recognizing some of the architecture and décor.

"Many of us travel to your side to study your culture," a young acolyte named Olga explained. "You are Catalina, daughter of Isabelle of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon."

"Yes, yes I am," the Queen answered proudly.

"Your late mother's accomplishments have inspired our current Queen, Dorothy Ozopov. It is our hope that she will at last unite the Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov and end the bloodshed."

"I have been told their blood feud is similar to the blood feud that existed between Henry's and my House of Lancaster and York ancestors."

"Indeed it is Your Grace but with one significant difference. The Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov carry a dreadful curse placed upon them by the Greek goddess Demeter. They will be at war with each other until the lines die out."

"How dreadful!" Catherine exclaimed.

Jane was oddly quiet from the moment they arrived, Morgan attributing her silence to nervousness. He'd told her of his homeland often enough that little would surprise he supposed. However, the moment they were in the presence of the High Priestess baby Malcolm began to wail.

"Hush now darling," Jane soothed her son as she and Morgan knelt before Mistress Andromeda, the current High Priestess.

"There is great darkness in you and your child that must be expunged Lady Jane," the priestess informed her.

"I submit myself and my son for your instruction."

"Very well." She glanced over at Jane's father. "You have been given the rarest of gifts, Lord Mayford. The Eye of Aramon himself."

"Aramon's visions were much clearer, Mistress Andromeda. Mine sometimes confuse me."

"In time this gift will pass to the one that needs it the most. I have been instructed by Ozmalita herself that we are to have a wedding tomorrow." She smiled. "There are many preparations to be made."

"I would be happy to help in any way I can," Catherine offered.

"It is not necessary Your Grace. You and your ward will spend the day satisfying your curiosity of this land. We will make all the arrangements."

"As you wish."

"Olga will show you to your rooms."

Catherine was pleased she would be sharing a room with her young ward. Bess's royal duties gave them so little time together and the Queen always felt comfortable confiding in her as much as her dear friend Maria De Salinas. Though the Princess Mary's birth had brought her and the king closer, it was still not as close as she desired. His desire for a living son continued to be an issue that kept them at odds. Catherine had been given thorough examinations by her physicians and none could find a reason why her pregnancies had been so difficult. Part of her prayed that she might find an answer in this holy place if God so willed it. Morgan told her often that his world's religion had been heavily influenced by Christianity.

"I know I cannot stay in this realm long, but I am determined to learn all I can," Catherine declared once their trunks had been unpacked.

"As am I, Your Grace," Bess confessed.

Moments later there was a knock on the door and Morgan stood on the other side with Jane and baby Malcolm.

"Might I interest you in a walk in the gardens?" he inquired with a smile.

"We would be delighted, Lord Mayford!" Bess held out her hand to her intended. He clasped it in his and Catherine and Jane followed them outside.

"Morgan, look! The roses!" Bess cried, pointing at the various colors of roses in the bushes along the garden's entrance.

"My favorites are the blue and white roses," he murmured and plucked a blue one, holding it out to her. The white rose he handed to the Queen

"You are able to change their colors in this land?" Catherine inquired.

"We can though magic but blue roses grow naturally in Oz," Jane explained. "Once the rose withers Bess, bury it in the garden at Mayford and you will have your own blue roses. Nothing ever dies, it can only be reborn but not as it was before."

"I do want to grow these roses. They're beautiful!"

"This temple was once the original royal palace of the first Queen of Nonestica, the goddess Lurline herself," Olga explained when she appeared beside them. "Lurline reigned alone for many years until a portal appeared and a handsome young sorcerer from the land called Russia arrived. His name was Ivan Strogoff and he'd come to this land seeking sanctuary from a dark witch there. Lurline fell in love with him and they wed, their descendants being the Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov."

Olga did not tell them that Aramon had arrived from a point in their land's future and in that future Queen Catherine had been set aside in favor of knight's daughter named Anne Boleyn.

"The Queen is such a gracious lady Mistress!" Olga wept upon hearing this news. "Why can we not tell her?"

"It is the Will of the Goddess, daughter. Though she will live in the falcon's shadow for many years there will come a day when many will look back on her history and discover how great a lady she was. Morgan and Bess cannot be told either or they will attempt to alter her fate. They cannot or they will pay a great price."

"And they cannot be told Lady Jane is Alemedia's servant?"

"No," came the reply. "Her powers are weak now that she is in this sacred place, but she must remain the dark goddess's servant for it too is the Will of the Goddess."

"Why?"

"I have had a vision that the Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov will be united through a child conceived through a union between darkness and light. Morgan Whitmore's grandson will conceive the guardian that will fulfill the greatest prophecy on one of Glinda the Good and the Wizard's daughters, Princess Lilliana."

**The United Realms**

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer, 2019**

Rumple lowered the seeing globe he was using to view the events of the fall of 1519 and glowered at Ozmalita. His stepfather, Archie Strogoff from the former Storybrooke Five, was also angry for he was now married to Lilliana and she'd given birth to their first child, a daughter named Glinda.

"So you KNEW all that time what was going to happen….my grandmother would abandon my father, let a wastrel raise him and he would seduce and abandon my mother at a time when she needed someone to protect her!"

"It was the…"

"Don't you EVEN bother saying it was the will of the goddess!" Archie Strogoff snapped. "I should've been Rumple's father, not that heartless bastard! How could you do that to Lilly? How!"

His wife laid her hand on his arm. "It's all right Archie. I'm with you now. That's all that matters."

"You are darling but I'm still angry."

Beth, David and Catherine were equally furious. "You also knew what Henry and Anne were going to do to Catherine and you let it happen! Damn you!" David cursed.

"You all have a right to be angry, but these events had to play out as they did and my mother limited my powers so that I couldn't interfere in this side's history," the goddess defended.

"Besides, Catherine got what she wanted," Anne added. "There just as many people who admire her now as they do me."

"Adulterous bitch," Henry sneered.

"So says the man who bedded every woman at court who was foolish enough to want to," Anne retorted. "Even a milkfaced one like Jane Seymour. Just what were you doing on MY husband's lap before I came in that day, bitch?"

"It was innocent!" Jane protested. "I, unlike, you did not give my favors to every man that suited my fancy."

"No, just MY husband!" Anne sneered.

"It served you right after what YOU did to Catherine!" Jane hissed.

"You little...!" Anne was about to get out of her chair when she was blasted back into it.

"Move again and I'll tie you to it" Angelique threatened.

"Save it for later!" David barked.

"Oh, well done!" Arthur praised. "I always knew you had a temper on you Morgan, but I rarely saw you use it."

"Oh, I have," his father muttered. Henry nodded in agreement.

"Daddy's givin 'em the Molkitude!" Jasper giggled.

"The what, lad?" Henry inquired, puzzled.

"S'what Mommy calls it when we get really mad. Molk attitude. Molkitude," Devon explained.

"Oh."

Anne rolled her eyes. "You really are daft, Henry. Even I figured that out."

"Have you finished, madam?"

"I haven't even…"

Angelique gestured and zippers appeared on their mouths.

"I'll take them off when its time for you to talk. Until then you sit there, shut up and let my father tell his story! That goes for the rest of you too!"

"May I say something?" David's sister-in-law DG spoke up.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just that I remember you all visiting me in my first life as Queen Dorothy."

Angelique's eyes widened. "You're Dorothy Ozopov?"

"And a former dark one," she added. "I'm surprised you didn't detect the presence of a reborn soul in me. Ivan Strogoff wasn't the only othersider taken from the future through a portal. So was I. I was taken from two different points in time. The first travel storm brought me to the OZ in 1899 second in 1928, right before the first eclipse and the Crash of '29. Had I stayed in my own time I would have been destitute."

"You also came to see us," spoke up Rumple's mother, Lilliana Strogoff. "Zorinda and I were only a few months old."

"So how did Zorinda get the Dark One dagger?" DG wanted to know.

"She killed me," Angelique replied. "As she was meant to. As all Dark Ones would do after her, kill their predecessors until the dagger was in the hands of the Strogoff that would fulfill the prophecy and break the curse."

"But you made a deal with Alemedia to be reborn so you could have your revenge on the Tudors, dinna ye, dearie?"

"I did. As Miranda DuVal."

Barnabas shook his head yet said nothing. He'd experienced enough of Angelique's black magic to know when to talk and when to listen.

"We knew nothing about what was going on behind the scenes," David said after the camera started rolling again. "Catherine had little time to see our world so we gave her a tour of it the only way we could….through magic."

**Oz (The Outer Zone)**

**Temple of Lurline**

**Five hundred years prior to the Final Eclipse**

**September 5, 1519**

Though they would need travel storm tokens to travel to other realms, Olga was happy to teleport them to various places in Oz and the morning after the wedding she would take them to the Emerald Palace in the Eastern realm to meet Queen Dorothy Ozopov and then move on to the Southern realm and the Finaqua Palace to meet Glinda and Alexander Strogoff. The journey reminded Catherine of the progresses she and Henry would make back in England and the people of Nonestica warmed to her as those in England.

"You have become the Queen of the peoples' hearts querida," Arthur murmured when he appeared before them. Catherine pressed her hand to her chest and gasped in shock.

"Arthur? Is it…is you?"

"Aye, it is me."

"You….you still look so young!"

"I do not age in the afterlife, dear Catherine. I have been appearing to Morgan for some time but have longed to see you." He smiled. "Nothing has pleased me more than seeing you be Queen of England as you were meant to be."

She lowered her head. "I have failed in my duty to give Henry a son. Tell me Arthur, has God punished me for marrying him?"

"No Catherine! Why would God forsake one of His most devoted servants? I believe He has given you your dear Mary only to bring about a change. She will rule England in her own right."

"Yet I still must give Henry a son."

"I would not have taken others to my bed," Arthur said angrily.

His brother's ill treatment of the women he claimed to love above all others angered him.

"He is King…it is to be expected. You think me foolish for defending him, don't you?"

"Never, querida. You have always been loyal to our kings regardless of their flaws as men. But never forget that YOU, Catherine of Aragon have your own great accomplishments as Queen of our realm. You kept the Scots from invading our country while my brother was off galivanting in France in a war he couldn't possibly win. You claimed that victory in Henry's name, but it was YOURS and all who fought in know it was yours!"

Morgan said nothing, merely smiled. There was no need to. Arthur's appearance before his former bride could not have come at a better time. Queens of the other side often lived in the shadows of the Kings they'd wed, and he feared his visions that this too would be Catherine's fate.

Morgan led Bess away to allow Arthur and Catherine some much needed time alone.

"Did you summon him?" his bride asked.

"There was no need. "Arthur knew when it was time for him to show himself and this was the time.

"I wish she didn't have to go back so soon. Being here is good for her soul."

"Aye. She's lived in the shadows of others so long but here she will be given her chance to truly shine. Did I tell you that though there are many Kings and Queens in Nonestica, Queen Dorothy is High Queen?"

"She is?"

"Yes through her marriage to the late King Nicolai, descended from Hades and Persephone themselves."

"I look forward to meeting her."

He kissed her tenderly. "And you will…once we're wed."

Arthur escorted Catherine back to the temple.

"May I have a private audience with your priestess?" she inquired of one of the acolytes. The woman nodded.

"I will wait for you here Catherine."

Andromeda had been anticipating this meeting.

"I am God's faithful servant but I fear there is something missing for He has not yet blessed me with a living son!" Catherine wept as she and the priestess knelt at Lurline's altar.

"Perhaps you misunderstand His message, Your Grace."

"I don't understand."

"You may not have a living son because He feels your Mary should rule England in her own right, the first Queen to do so. We have many Queens in this land but Queen Dorothy Ozopov is High Queen for she rules OZ as will one of her daughters, the Princesses Ozma and Oksana."

"You talk as if women are superior to men in this realm."

"We are dear Catherine for we are the ones that give birth to the generations that come after us. The men may plant the seeds but it is our hard labors and the blessings of the goddess that give our descendants to us."

"Oh...Henry wouldn't approve of that. He believes only a man can rule England."

"Yet your mother ruled Castille alone, did she not?"

Catherine smiled. "She did."

"Then your daughter is meant to rule England."

The priestess's words calmed some of her fears though not all. She could sense Henry's affections waning and believed only a son would bring him back into her welcoming arms. Meanwhile the news Olga had given the former heir apparent to the English throne grieved him beyond the capacity for words.

"...There is no way to avoid it?" Arthur asked sadly. Olga shook her head. "Not even the Whimores can be told what is to come for they too would attempt to alter her fate."

"Oh Catherine," he wept. "Damn you Henry! Damn you!"

"Come. Dry your tears. We must prepare your friend for his wedding."

**Oz (The Outer Zone) **

**Temple of Lurline**

**Five hundred years before the Final Eclipse**

**September 6, 1519**

Bess and Catherine were awakened at dawn by several of Mistress Andromeda's acolytes who assisted the Queen and her ward while they dressed in their wedding garb and explained the marriage ritual to the Queen.

"You will escort your ward to Lurline's altar where her husband waits and when Mistress Andromeda asks who gives her to her husband you will reply in this manner 'I Catherine, Queen of England and representative of the House of Lawton do give my ward Elizabeth to this man Morgan Whitmore in matrimony.' Once you have given your consent, Morgan's escort must give theirs."

"Ah I see. In our world only the bride's hand is given in matrimony. I find this difference pleasing."

"Once the permissions have been granted Morgan and Bess will speak their vows. Once the vows have been spoken, we will begin the heart binding ceremony."

"What is the heart binding ceremony?"

"Morgan and I will share a heart Your Grace. We've already pledged our souls to each other, on our wedding night we will pledge our bodies and during our wedding we will pledge our hearts" Bess explained. "During the ceremony our hearts will be removed and one half of mine will go to Morgan and half of his will come to me."

The Queen's eyes widened. "You…you cannot have your hearts removed and live!"

"It is magic, Your Grace. True love's magic."

"The strongest form of it. Once a bond like yours is consummated it can never be broken…even in death. Your souls will travel to the afterlife together and reborn together if the goddess so wills it," one of the women added.

"Then that means….when you die…"

"We will die together."

Catherine nodded. She knew her husband would never make so great a sacrifice for her nor would she for him. England had to come first. England and their daughter. Once they finished dressing, they followed the women down the hall where the High Priestess waited.

"You have given them the proper instruction?"

"Yes Mistress."

Olga handed the bride a bouquet of blue and white roses tied with a gold satin ribbon. Catherine took Bess's hand in hers.

"Are you ready, dear Bess."

"I have been ready for a long time, Your Grace."

They were stunned when they stepped out into the hallway to find Arthur awaiting them.

"With your permission I would like to join Catherine in representing your house Bess since my great uncle Richard and Lady Jane will be representing Morgan's house."

Bess smiled. "I'm not surprised Richard's here. He was one of Morgan's dearest friends. You have my permission, Your Highness and indeed it is an honor."

He didn't tell her that her own parents, summoned from the afterlife would be conducting the heart ceremony. Though Catherine had been instructed in Bess's presence, she couldn't wait until her ward saw that her parents would be able to join her on her special day. Two of the priestess's guards opened the doors to the main chamber and Bess saw her husband at the altar dressed in a blue velvet doublet the same shade as her gown, his daughter on one side of him, King Richard III on the other. Also in attendance were Queen Anne Neville, Elizabeth Woodville, Edward IV, the two lost princes and King Henry VII and his Queen Elizabeth of York.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" Andromeda asked once they were facing each other at the altar.

"I Catherine, Queen of England and representative of the House of Lawton do give my ward Lady Elizabeth Lawton to this man in matrimony."

"I, Arthur Tudor, Prince of England and representative of the House of Lawson do give the royal ward Lady Elizabeth Lawton to this man in matrimony.," Arthur declared as Catherine placed Bess's left hand into Morgan's.

"And who gives this man to this woman?"

"I, Jane Whitmore of the House of Whitmore do give my father Morgan Whitmore to this woman in matrimony."

"I, Richard Plantagenet, King of England, do give my friend Morgan Whitmore to this woman in matrimony."

Jane took Bess's right hand into Morgan's.

"You may now speak your vows."

"I, Morgan, take thee to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. With this ring, I thee wed. With my body I thee worship and thereto I plight thee my troth."

"I, Elizabeth, take thee to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. With this ring, I thee wed. With my body I thee worship and thereto I plight thee my troth."

"Morgan Whitmore, is it your intention to bind yourself heart, body and soul to this woman?"

"Is is my intention."

"Elizabeth Lawton, is it your intention to bind yourself heart, body and soul to this man?"

"it is my intention."

There was a flash of light and Lord and Lady Lawton appeared in the room.

"Edmund!" Morgan gasped. "Eliza!"

"Mama! Papa!" Bess sobbed.

The ghostly pair smiled at their old friend and daughter. "We couldn't have asked for a better husband for our daughter. We wanted to surprise you."

"Oh you did!" Bess said through her tears.

"Eliza of the House of Lawton, please remove the bride's heart," Andromeda instructed.

"Just relax darling. It won't hurt...I promise," Eliza soothed as she reached into her daughter's chest. Catherine and Arthur's eyes widened when they saw the fragile organ glowing in the ghost's hands.

"Jane of the House of Whitmore, please remove the groom's heart."

Andromeda waved her hand over the glowing organs and they divided into to pieces, one in the palms of Jane and Eliza's hands glowing red, one hovering above them glowing white.

"Morgan Whitmore, take the glowing piece of your heart into your hand and recite the following incantation

_See as I see_

_Feel as I feel_

_Let our two hearts become one_

_Not even in death shall this bond be undone_

Then speak the name of the one you wish to give it to."

_"See as I see_

_Feel as I feel_

_Let our two hearts become one_

_Not even in death shall this bond be undone...Elizabeth Lawton!_"

"Release it."

The white piece floated over to Bess and hovered before her.

"Elizabeth, if you wish to claim this heart, take it in your hand and hold it to your chest until it disappears."

Bess gently took the heart piece in her hand and held it to her breast. She felt a slight sting before it vanished.

"Elizabeth, take the unclaimed piece in your hand and recite the same incantation followed by the name of the one you wish to give it to."

_"See as I see_

_Feel as I feel_

_Let our two hearts become one_

_Not even in death shall this bond be undone...Morgan Whitmore!"_

Once the piece of Bess's heart was in Morgan's chest, Eliza and Jane returned the other pieces to their owners. They placed their hands on each other's chests, their eyes meeting.

"I am now yours heart, body and soul and I will love you in this life and the next," they recited in unison.

"By the will of the goddess and the Holy Father of Earth I now pronounce you wed. You may seal your vows with a kiss."

Morgan gathered Bess in his arms and kissed her tenderly.

"Morgan," she sobbed joyfully. "My husband...at last!"

He smiled. "Sweet Bess...my wife."

Jane gestured and the petals of blue and white roses rained on the newly married couple.

"That was beautiful," Catherine sniffled at Arthur's side.

"Indeed it was quierida."

The ceremony over, the newly married couple and guests gathered in the grand hall for the wedding feast and dancing, everyone enjoying the playful banter between the Tudors and Plantagenets. It was not until recently that the Nonesticans had seen their own rival Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov living together in harmony. Early in the evening the High Priestess called for the end of the festivities as it was time now for the bride and groom to retire. The Daughters of Light began to prepare the bedchamber for the groom's arrival while Catherine tended to her young charge, brushing her hair and offering her what advice she could on what to expect once she was alone with her husband.

"There will be pain when your maidenhead is breached but I believe Morgan will be a gentle lover and the discomfort will pass." The Queen smiled. "And I will pray that soon there will be a child in your womb."

"I cannot thank you enough for doing this for us, Your Grace."

"You have waited long enough to be Morgan's bride, dear Bess and nothing pleased me more than to be able to participate in your wedding. These Nonestican wedding customs are so beautiful and this world….words cannot describe the beauty of it! Come, we must get you into bed. They will be bringing your husband soon."

"Your Grace, were you this nervous on your wedding night?"

Catherine smiled wistfully. "Aye. I'd been told what to expect of course but I was also told that I must take instruction from my husband on how to please him. We have had many happy moments together, His Grace and I."

Bess crawled onto the bed and drew the blankets over her.

"Will you pray with me, Your Grace?"

"I will be happy to."

Catherine knelt at the foot of the bed, her rosary beads clutched in her hands and the women began to pray in Latin. Once they finished, they heard a knock on the door.

"Yes?"

"We bring your husband, Lady Whitmore."

"You may enter," Catherine commanded.

Wearing only his nightshirt, the groom entered the bedchamber escorted by Lady Andromeda and two of her acolytes and bowed to the Queen. They knelt together before the bed for a final prayer in their own faith.

"Lord Mayford, you must join your bride in your marriage bed before we perform the final blessing," Lady Andromeda advised him. He crawled in beside her and bowed his head.

"Lurline, our Mother, we ask you to bestow your blessings upon your Son of Light Morgan and his Bess as they now bind their bodies to one another and from this union we ask that many sons and daughters be the fruit of this union."

Catherine said her own prayers and crossed herself.

"I bid you good night my dears," she said softly.

"Thank you again, Your Grace," Morgan murmured.

Minutes later they departed leaving the couple alone in the room. Bess held the blanket to her breasts, her hands trembling.

"I do not know why I am nervous," she confessed. "This...this is not the first time we've shared a bed."

"Ah sweet Bess it is not but if you feel you are not ready we will wait."

"Oh this is silly!" she cried. "I've wanted this moment for so long. Why do I hesitate?"

He turned to her and cupped her face in his hands. "Has Her Grace or any of the Priestess's maids given you instruction?"

She nodded. "They told me there would be pain...why did you not tell me there would be pain?"

He sighed. "It is not pain I inflict on you willingly, sweet Bess but it cannot be avoided. i will be as gentle as I can be." He kissed her softly. "But do you not remember my speaking of the many ways of making love?"

"Yes..."

"I would have your permission for every liberty I take with you tonight."

"You are my husband. It is my duty."

"No, no no...I will not have you give yourself to me because of duty, but in love"

"I do love you! Oh, I want to be rid of this fear. I want to be a good wife to you!"

"May I kiss you again?"

"Yes!" she moaned.

He drew her mouth to his and kissed her hungrily. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body closer to his.

"Teach me how to make love Morgan," she moaned.

"Patience, sweet Bess, patience," he murmured though his desire for her tested his own patience to its limits. He laid her down on the bed, his lips never leaving hers while his hands caressed her thighs under the skirt of her chemise, the only garment she'd been permitted to wear for the evening. He brought his lips to her throat, her breath catching in her throat as he continued to caress her, the skirt of her chemise gathering around her waist. He could feel her trembling beneath him. "Does my touch frighten you?"

"N...no..." she stammered then gasped when she felt his hands on her breasts.

"Are you frightened now, sweetheart?"

"N...No...I remember...you...telling me..."

"But now I long to show you."

"S...Show me..." she whispered, her body's response to his tender caresses surprising her. Then as suddenly he ceased. "Why did you stop? Have I….have I done something wrong?"

"Oh no darling. I long to see you as God fashioned you but only if you wish me to."

"I….do," she croaked.

He carefully pulled the chemise over her head and let it fall to the floor and sat up, his eyes studying every curve of her body. Part of her wanted to reach for the coverlet and conceal herself from his gaze while the other that was being awakened by his tutelage wanted him to admire her, to prove to her and to the ladies in the Queen's court that she was not the plain maid they made her out to be.

"So beautiful," he murmured.

"I…I am? You do not think me a plain maid?"

He scowled and reached for her hands, pulling her up and onto his lap. "Listen to me and listen well my lady wife! You are not a plain maid, You are a beautiful woman, you are my wife and tonight and every night you wish me to I will show you how beautiful you are!"

"Morgan," she sobbed joyfully and kissed him.

"There is still much to teach you sweet Bess."

She smiled. "May I see you now, husband."

She felt him tense in her arms.

"Listen to me and listen well my lord husband! You are not an old man and I would see you as God fashioned you!"

"You use my words against me sweet Bess," he mumbled before he removed his nightshirt and lay down.

She sat up, feeling her cheeks redden as she looked at him.

"Do…do you still think I am not an old man?"

"I think you are a beautiful man," she whispered and leaned down to kiss him again. "And you have more to teach me."

"So I do." He took her hands in his and pulled her down to him.

The time seemed to pass slowly while they kissed and explored each other's bodies now that they no longer had the many barriers of clothing between them, the desire between them building until they could no longer resist the need to surrender to it completely.

"Morgan?"

"Yes?"

Her lips trembled, anticipation and fear paralyzing her ability to speak yet he knew the question she hesitated to ask.

"You're certain?"

She nodded.

"I will be as gentle as I can," he said again.

He is my husband, the man I love, she reminded herself as she felt him enter her as slowly and gently as he'd promised, the pain she'd expected to feel brief, the taunting voices of the other ladies in Catherine's court fading away until all she could hear was the beating of her own heart and his, all she could feel was the joy that she'd left her girlhood behind and was at last a woman and a wife to the only man she would ever love in this life and the next. Tears streamed down her cheeks and wet his shoulder as he held her in his arms later that night. Making love to her had been the subject of many of his dreams over the years, the reality far exceeding his expectations. She welcomed his attentions unlike his first wife even though she'd lacked the experience prior to that evening. He looked forward to the many nights he would spend teaching her.

"Bess, sweet Bess I am so sorry…I tried…."

"No, no darling! I'm crying because I'm happy!" she exclaimed and snuggled closer to him "I love you."

"That is the only time I ever want you to cry sweet Bess," he said and kissed back her tears. "It was not too…uncomfortable for you?"

"A little," she admitted. "But you were so gentle with me, as you promised."

"I am a man of my word Elizabeth Whitmore."

He was exhausted as was she yet neither was ready to sleep yet, struggling to postpone it for as long as they could.

"Morgan?"

"Mmmm?"

"Do you think….do you think I am with child?"

"It would please me greatly if we have conceived a child this night sweet Bess, but the Lord will decide when to bless us with one…or two."

"Two? At one time?"

"Twins are common among my people. They can both be males or females…or one of each. Princess Glinda Strogoff has twin daughters…the Princesses Zorinda and Lilliana."

"Morgan?"

"Mmmm?"

"I love you."

"And I love you, sweet Bess."

'I still have much to learn, don't I?"

He smiled. "We have the rest of our lives for you to learn darling." Her eyes were closed. He smiled and allowed himself to drift off knowing that she would still be in his arms when he awoke in the morning.


	12. Nonestican Refuge

**Nonestican Refuge**

**The United Realms**

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer, 2019**

If looks could kill and King Henry VIII were not already dead, he would have been dead again under Angelique's malicious stare. He moved his chair away.

"My father loved Bess. He was happy with her. You knew that. YOU KNEW THAT!" Angelique shouted, sparks emitting from her fingertips. 'YOU KNEW AND YOU STILL TRIED TO KEEP THEM APART FOR YOUR WHORE AND HER SCHEMING FAMILY!" She stretched out her hand and blasted the former king sending him flying into the lake.

"Jane! Enough!" David barked.

"It's not enough. It'll never be enough!"

She gestured again and one of the branches lifted Anne out of her chair by her hair and suspended her in the air.

"Ummm, she does know that won't hurt them…right?" Beth asked him.

"Yes it will," Belle murmured.

They heard Henry screaming as something was trying to drag him underwater.

"Grandmother…" Rumple hissed. "Stop this."

"What is she doing?" Barnabas inquired.

Now Anne was screaming as more branches wrapped themselves around her arms and legs and began to stretch her out.

Margaret Beaufort, Catherine and Arthur crossed themselves and began to pray.

"I SAID ENOUGH!" David yelled.

"Listen to him Grandmother or I use this!" Rumple threatened, holding up a tear shaped pendant. "You know what it is."

"Too well!" Angelique growled and released her spells, returning Anne and Henry to their chairs. "It's how Zorinda killed me!"

"Settle down and let your father talk or I will use it!" Belle snapped. Angelique returned to her seat, her eyes never leaving Henry and Anne. "Now, when we left off you and Beth had just gotten married."

"Don't expect us to give any details," David said.

Beth smiled dreamily. "Let me just say that it was one of the best days of my life so far, but there were so many more to come…"

**Oz (The Outer Zone) **

**The Temple of Lurline**

**September 7, 1519**

**Five hundred years prior to the Final Eclipse**

Any notions that the previous night's events had only been a dream were shattered the moment Bess awoke to the feel of her husband's lips, his body pressed against hers.

"Bess," he murmured. "Sweet Bess. My wife at last."

"Morgan," she moaned softly as he kissed her. "My husband…."

"Did you sleep well?"

"Very well," she murmured.

He reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes before he kissed her again. For so many years he'd longed for a morning like this, to awaken to a woman who welcomed his attentions rather than fear them.

"Forgive me if I do not want to move from this bed."

He chuckled. "Neither do I, sweet Bess but we cannot be rude to our hostess."

"We've only been wed a day! Surely it is expected that…" She blushed and buried her face in his chest. "Oh, I sound like a wanton, don't I?"

He flipped her over. "You can be as wanton as you wish in our bedchamber, my lady wife but we cannot hide in here all day. Everyone will be expecting to see us. However..." He grinned down at her. "They will forgive us if we are a little late."

"Moments later there was a gentle rap on the door.

"Yes?"

"Your breakfast my lord," Olga announced. A silver tray with covered dishes appeared on the table. Morgan donned his nightshirt and robe and walked over to the table; a piece of parchment written in Ozian tucked beneath one of the dishes.

"What does it say?" Bess asked him.

"We have been invited to the Emerald Palace as guests of Queen Dorothy," he replied.

"Then we are to leave here?"

"We cannot refuse her darling. She is the High Queen of Nonestica. Queen Catherine will accompany us."

"It seems that we are always being summoned to one crowned head or another when we wish to be alone."

"The Queen's advisor assures me we will be given the privacy we require." He kissed her cheek. "Do not be so distressed, sweet Bess. We will be alone as often as you wish. Come, let us break our fast before we join the others."

"We are not properly dressed," she giggled, gesturing to her chemise and glanced down at the ring-shaped pastries with strawberry jam on her plate. "What are these, Morgan?"

"Ah. That is called a bajgiel or so I have been told. Queen Dorothy is fond of them."

"They are delicious. Why do we not have them at court?"

"Because they come from a later point in time darling. Queen Dorothy came to this realm from one of those points."

"You mean…she is from the future of our world?"

"As was the god Aramon."

"I would like our cook to learn how to make them."

"Our cooks will make any dish you desire. Have you finished?"

She sighed and stood up. "I have…and I suppose we should summon someone to help us dress….oh!" she cried when he came over to her and took her in his arms for a kiss.

"Allow me to be your servant for the day, my lady wife," he murmured, nuzzling her neck.

"You would dress me, my lord?" she whispered, his breath warm against her skin. She closed her eyes and laid her head on his shoulder, the desire building within her again as he caressed her.

"Aye though it gives me greater pleasure to look upon you as God fashioned you. So beautiful." He pressed his lips against her collarbone.

"I still have much to learn about making love," she murmured.

"Then let us resume your lessons," he said huskily and swung her up in his arms.

"Morgan," she moaned as he deposited her on the bed. They made love again slowly, neither wanting to leave the warmth and comfort of their bed in Oz's holiest of places. Afterwards she lay in his arms, her head on his chest listening to their joined hearts beating beneath his flesh.

"Morgan?"

"Hmmm?"

"May we stay here?"

"You don't want to return to England?"

She shook her head. "I do not believe Henry will keep his word and allow you to marry me. If we remain here, we can live our lives as we choose."

"I do not have much to offer you in this land, sweet Bess. I left it with only the clothes on my body and a small satchel with few possessions." He scowled. "I was nothing but the son of a cheat and thief."

"You can serve any of the royal houses!"

"In my dotage?"

"You are not in your dotage, husband! Have you forgotten that four kings have relied on your advice and counsel? Perhaps you could serve one of them as Chancellor and I shall be a lady-in-waiting. Consider it darling."

"But the Queen..."

"She would understand. Morgan, I love you. I cannot bear to be parted from you again."

"Nor can I bear to be parted from you."

"And Jane. You must stay for Jane and Malcolm. They need you. They need us. Morgan, please..."

"You're right Bess." He sighed. "I've been a fool. My place is here with my daughter and grandson. I will do what I must to make a home for us here."

"Oh Morgan!" She kissed him gratefully. 'You've made me so happy. Now all I wish is to have your child."

"It is my wish too, sweet Bess."

Now that he'd made his decision to remain in his homeland he felt as if a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders. An hour later they joined the others in the main hall, Andromeda's acolytes loading their trunks into the coaches that would take them to the Emerald Palace. While they waited Morgan asked the Queen if she would take a walk with them in the gardens.

"We cannot thank you again for all you've done for us Your Grace," Morgan said softly. "There is a matter, however, I would like to discuss we you before we depart for Emerald City."

"Oh?"

Bess took his hand in hers.

"We will not be returning to England."

"Not return?" Catherine gasped. "Why?"

"Forgive me Your Grace but I cannot trust Henry to keep his word and allow us to marry. He will find some other excuse and I will not be parted from Bess again nor will she be parted from me. And I will not let my daughter and grandchild remain in this world alone."

She nodded. "It was very difficult for me when I left Spain to be Arthur's bride. The people that look like you, will they stay?"

"I don't know Your Grace. Perhaps one day we might return if they do not stay."

"I will miss you my dearest friends, but I would not deny you your happiness. Come, the High Queen of Nonestica is expecting us."

Baby Malcolm stirred in his mother's arms.

"May I hold him for a bit, Jane?" Morgan asked his daughter. She handed her precious bundle to him. He gazed down at his grandson's small face and fought back tears as he realized how close he'd come to never seeing him or his daughter again. As Bess watched them, she longed for the day when he would hold their own son in his arms.

Malcolm napped during the ride to the Emerald City, named according to Olga, for one of the two gemstones that were the most powerful relics in Nonestica. One of them held the very lifeforce of the Ozian goddess Lurline while the other was in the possession of Glinda Strogoff, the Sorceress of the Southern Realm known as 'Glinda The Good.'

"Now that Queen Dorothy rules Oz alone it is our hope that she has put an end to the blood feud between the houses of Strogoff and Ozopov."

"As King Henry VII's marriage to Queen Elizabeth was to end the feud between Lancaster and York," Catherine added. "My own marriage to Henry unites Spain and England….oh! Look at that!"

Bess, Morgan and Jane pulled back the curtains on their side of the coach and spotted a large glass circle floating beside them and inside it were a couple holding infants in their arms. The circle disintegrated on the road ahead of them and the driver brought the horses to a halt before they could strike the occupants. Olga climbed out of the coach and approached them. She clenched her right hand into a fist and pressed it against her right shoulder, kneeling.

"Your Highnesses," she greeted softly.

"Forgive us for delaying you but I am so excited to see these new slippers from the Other Side!" the woman exclaimed.

"I'm curious to know what time they've crossed over from," spoke up the man.

"They seem harmless enough, Your Grace," Morgan reassured his wife and the Queen. "Hello Your Highnesses. I am Morgan Whitmore, Earl of Mayford and may I present Her Grace, Catherine, Queen of England, my wife Elizabeth, my daughter Jane and my grandson Malcolm."

"Sixteenth century, Glinda," the man explained. "She's Catherine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII of England.

"Oh! Alexander! That is almost four hundred years earlier than your time and Dorothy's!"

"It is." The man removed his hat and bowed. "I am Alexander Mysticos Strogoff and this is my wife Glinda and our daughters Lilliana and Zorinda."

"We are honored to meet you, Your Highnesses."

"The honor is ours, Your Majesty," Glinda returned and curtseyed.

"Why do you travel in a glass circle?" Bess inquired.

Alexander chuckled.

"My tutor always told me to travel in style," Glinda giggled.

Her husband shook his head.

"He's not going to be there, is he?"

"Of course he is! Oh, don't get your cape in a twist, Alexander!"

"Glinda's tutor is Loki Laufeyson, the Norse god and I must warn you he has a penchant for pulling pranks. I seem to be his favorite target."

"We're used to them," Morgan laughed. "The King is quite the prankster himself."

Olga laughed as well. "Then you'd best warn the Queen to have the ale stocked if Thor accompanies him."

"He's coming alone as far as I know. We'd best get going. Dorothy will be cross with me I've caused us all to be late!" Glinda waved her wand and encased her family inside the glass circle while the others returned to their coach.

"Lovely family," Bess murmured. "And they said we're going to meet another god! Have you heard of this Loki, Morgan?"

He nodded. "Richard had a vast library. I enjoyed reading about all the gods on that side and you now know the creators of Nonestica were the Greek gods Hades and Persephone."

They arrived at the city gates an hour later where a man driving an open coach awaited.

"No one enters the Emerald City without taking a ride in a carriage driven by the horses of a different color!" he joked.

"What do you mean 'horses of a different color'?"

"Come aboard and you'll see, Your Grace."

Morgan smiled. His boyhood dreams had been of one day coming to the Emerald City to be a scholar and ride in the coach of the famous 'horses of a different color'. He, Bess, Jane, Catherine and Malcolm climbed aboard the carriage, Catherine, Bess and Jane gazing in wonder as the horses' hair changed from white to blue.

"What magic is this Papa?"

"It's not magic Jane. All Ozian horses have the ability to change the color of their hair to what suits them," Morgan explained. The horses' hair changed again, this time it was a deep crimson.

People walked by them while they rode through the streets, all stopping to say hello. Morgan motioned for the driver to stop at a flower vendor's stall and purchased bouquets of roses he gave to his wife, daughter and Queen. The vendor also sold him a straw doll he gave to Malcolm.

"Morgan, look! There is a stall selling those delicious breads we ate this morning!" Bess exclaimed. The coach stopped again.

"Oh, we have all kinds, madam!" The baker handed her one.

"Blueberry!"

"We will take some of your finest flavors and some of those jams." Morgan handed him a small purse of coins.

"Would you like to try this new cheese, my lord Earl? Queen Dorothy enjoys using the strawberry flavored one."

Morgan and Bess dipped the small spoons they'd been handed into the jar and tasted the mild, strawberry flavored cheese.

"This is marvelous Morgan! I must have some!"

"We will take some." Morgan handed him more coins and once their shopping was done the carriage moved along, the horses changing their colors a few more times until they reached the entrance to the Emerald Palace. Now the horses' hair was green.

The large double doors opened and a man, or at least one made entirely of straw emerged.

"Welcome to Oz Your Graces! I am Ambrosius Crow, advisor to Queen Dorothy."

They heard a soft growl and Bess and the Queen stepped back in fear when a lion appeared behind the advisor.

"And I am Leo, General of the Queen's army," it growled.

"Your…your animals _talk_ here?" Catherine gasped.

"Indeed, they do, Your Grace!" Ambrosius replied proudly. He stepped back and allowed them to pass through with Leo trotting along beside them. As they walked down the hall Morgan and Jane were overcome by feelings of sorrow. They stopped to glance at several portraits on the walls, one of a man sitting on a tree stump holding an axe, another of a man made of tin.

"Our friend Nick Chopper. He was born human and cursed by the dark witch Nessarose for daring to love her servant girl Nimmie."

"Oh, how horrible!" Bess cried. "So this 'Tin Man' was what Nick Chopper was cursed to be."

"After his axe was enchanted to cut away all the parts of his human body. His heart was broken, and he spent many years searching for it."

"Nick found his heart too late," Leo added gruffly.

"Oh dear! Is he…?" Catherine could barely finish the sentence.

"Yes. Many years ago."

Bess reached for Morgan's hand and squeezed it tightly.

_That won't be us sweet Bess, _she heard him reassure her in her mind. _We will go to the next life and every one after together._

When they entered the throne room the Queen was not at her throne, rather at an easel sketching two little girls at play.

"Ozma, Okasana! We have guests," she announced and stood up. The girls rose to their feet and approached the group.

"I am Oksana Ozopov," the eldest introduced and curtseyed.

"And I am Ozma," her sister said, following suit.

Dorothy waved her hand over herself and her simple dress transformed into an emerald green gown. She wore no crown; it was in a glass case in the corner of the room.

"Please forgive my lack of formality, Your Grace. I believe it makes one's experience at court rather dull."

"I am your guest Your Grace and will be happy to follow your customs though I know very little about them," Catherine said with a smile.

"Morgan Whitmore! My, you have grown since your last appearance in the city! Welcome home!"

"Older, Your Grace. I have grown older and I beg your forgiveness for the misdeeds I may have done on my last visit with my father and brother."

"Crossing into different points in time is not always kind yet it has been very kind to you. There is nothing to forgive. You committed no crimes. I cannot say the same for your brother and father."

"Your Grace…how much time has passed here?"

"You have only been gone ten years Morgan," Dorothy replied.

"I suspected as much. Have you…have you seen them since…?"

"I have given orders that they are to be captured the moment they return to Oz. I suspect they've gone back to the Enchanted Forest and are running their cons there. You're better off without them Morgan. But I'll have no sadness here. Come, we'll give you a tour of the city!"

"It has changed much since I've been here," Morgan murmured. "If I remember correctly, it was not long after your coronation."

"It was," Dorothy said softly. She led them out of the palace and into the streets, stopping at each vendor's stall to introduce the proprietors to their guests. The merchants had come from across the land to sell their wares in the city. Morgan purchased new dresses for his bride and daughter, a gold crucifix for the queen and blankets for Malcolm who loved to burrow in them.

"I am holding a ball this evening in your honor," Dorothy announced upon their return to the palace.

"Your Grace…we are….we are honored," Catherine said with a smile.

"You will be able to attend?"

"I will but I must return to England in the morning. Your Grace, I realize I am a stranger in this land, but may I ask as one queen to another, will you look after my dear friends. The Earl and Countess of Mayford have decided to remain here. Will you welcome them to your court? They have served us well."

"He possesses the Eye," Glinda informed the queen when she and Alexander joined them.

Dorothy's mouth dropped open. "The Eye? As in the Eye of Aramon? There has never been a mortal or demigod born with the gift!"

"He has."

"My visions are often confusing Your Grace. I believed the one who possesses the Eye of Aramon would be able to see clearly."

"Only if he or she is a descendant of Aramon himself," Glinda clarified. "However, it is the Will of the Goddess that you possess the gift Lord Mayford."

"Then you are welcome to my court, Lord Mayford."

Morgan frowned. "Now that I no longer serve the English court, I cannot keep my current title. I am simply Lord Whitmore."

"And I am the High Queen of Nonestica. You will retain your title Lord Mayford." Dorothy took his hands in hers. "Project your memories of your lands and estate to my mind."

"I do not know how."

"Concentrate," the Queen coached.

"You can do it Papa," Jane encouraged and took his hand in hers. Seconds later they began to glow.

"What….what is that?!" Bess and Catherine gasped.

"Guardian magic," Alexander murmured. "But that's not possible. She is not…"

"Hush!" Glinda ordered.

Dorothy released his hands. "They will live in Finaqua, their lands bordering yours, Glinda," Dorothy informed the Strogoffs. Glinda nodded in approval.

Morgan bowed. "Thank you, Your Grace!"

"Morgan, what did she do?"

"She is recreated Mayford for us here, sweet Bess," he said softly. "She could not bring its people, but she has given us people of Finaqua to live and work on the lands."

"Morgan, you will serve on the High Council and you, Elizabeth will become one of my ladies in waiting."

"Thank you, Your Grace. I will be honored to serve you."

Catherine embraced the younger woman. "I leave you in good hands, dear Bess."

"I shall miss you terribly Your Grace! Is there no way we can communicate with you?"

Dorothy waved her hand and hand mirrors appeared in Catherine and Bess's hands. "Look into these and you will be able to see and speak to each other across time and space. Your mirror will only work for you, Your Grace," she informed Catherine. The Queen nodded. "Now we should all get ready for the ball. I have decided that it will be a masked ball like the ones the King is fond of hosting."

Catherine laughed. "Ah, he would be very disappointed he missed it!"

She was looking forward to the evening. Though she enjoyed her royal duties she longed for her youth when she and Henry would spend many evenings in their bedchamber dancing and singing. Now he spent those evenings in the arms of younger, more beautiful women, one that may give him what she could not…a living son.

Dorothy instructed her ladies to escort the party to their new court apartments to bathe and dress for the evening.

Morgan glanced down at the large bathing pool and grinned.

"What wicked thoughts are in your mind husband?"

"I thought perhaps my beautiful bride could join me in my bath."

Bess gasped and pressed her hand to her chest. "Such scandalous talk my lord husband! A proper English wife must bathe apart from her husband."

"Ah but we are no longer in England, are we sweet Bess?" he inquired huskily, his eyes meeting hers.

"No…"

He removed his clothing and climbed into the pool, holding out his arms. "Come and join me."

She undressed, climbed in and swam over to him, giggling. "Oh, I would need to spend many hours in confession for such wanton behavior!"

He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. "Though I loved living in England, I longed to come home. You will learn there are many differences between Nonestican culture and your own."

"Such as?"

He nuzzled her neck as he drew her closer. "In this land a husband and wife have no need for separate bedchambers. Once a man and woman pledge themselves to each other and to the goddess, there is no need for boundaries between them."

"And they bathe together?"

"If they wish to," he whispered. She wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling their joined heart pounding beneath her breast, her legs trembling and felt herself slipping out of his embrace. He grasped her thighs and lifted her up, wrapping them around his neck.

"Sweet Bess," he groaned into her shoulder.

"Morgan," she moaned and cupped his face in her hands, pressing her body closer to his. There was no need for her to ask him what she wanted him to do.

"As you wish sweet Bess," he murmured and carried her out of the pool and over to a chaise in the corner of the room.

"Morgan, if someone should discover us…." she said worriedly.

"They won't," he assured her and climbed onto the chaise with her.

"I thought we could only make love in a bed."

"You still have much to learn about making love, sweet Bess."

"Teach me darling….teach me everything!" she cried.

As he made love to her, Morgan sent a silent prayer to the Goddess, thanking her for allowing him to cross realms and time to find the missing piece of his heart. His young bride had not only restored his faith in love, but she'd also restored a bit of his youth. While many of his peers spent their days recalling their victories on battlefields and schemed to win the favor of a fickle king, he was content to enjoy every moment he could spend with his young bride and the children she would one day give him. He smiled when he recalled the vision he'd been given shortly before their wedding of her standing before him with three sons and three beautiful daughters. It was his hope that her belly would soon quicken with their first.

Sometime later they returned to the pool, splashing each other playfully while they swam about.

"Hmmm, we should have a bathing pool like this at Mayford. Is it based on the baths of Rome, husband?"

"It is. We Nonesticans have been following the Other Side's history and culture for some time though I did not know all of it. The rest I learned while I was a squire under Richard."

"I must admit I am nervous about joining Queen Dorothy's household. I want to serve her well."

"You will, darling. Life at the Ozian court is not so different from the English though less formal now that Dorothy is High Queen. I do not know what time she came from, but I suspect it is far in the future."

Bess gasped. "How far?"

"Centuries."

"I cannot image what life is like in that time." He swam over to the steps and sat down. "But the strange thing is, I believe we may get to see it for ourselves."

"What do you mean?" she asked when she sat beside.

"It is odd but last night while you slept, I had another of my visions. We were standing in a hall of some sort and I was wearing a strange costume but what I remember most was that this costume I wore was blue and on it a gold star. The Tin Men!"

"What?"

"The star I wore on my costume resembled the star of the Tin Men."

"What are the Tin Men?"

"Officers of the Law here in Oz. Nick Chopper, the Tin Man was their leader. They were responsible for apprehending criminals and bringing them back to court to face the Queen's justice." He scowled. "They were pursuing us when I was given the token that brought me to England."

She smiled. "Then perhaps it was fate telling you that a Tin Man is what you must be here in Oz."

"I do not think anyone in the nobility has been a Tin Man."

"Then you would be the first. I want us to be happy in this world Morgan and I will support any decision you make but you cannot ignore this vision you've had. I believe it is the goddess's way of telling you that you must be a Tin Man."

"I will speak to the Queen." He stood up and reached for her. "We should be getting ready for the ball now."

"….Her Grace, Catherine Queen of England and Their Graces Morgan and Elizabeth Whitmore, the Earl and Countess of Mayford!" the herald cried when they entered the ballroom an hour later.

Morgan could feel the eyes of the nobles on them, many of them filled with the scorn and derision he'd grown accustomed to in the English court, His mouth quirked in amusement as he reminded himself that he'd been playing the courtly game longer than many of them had been alive. No, they would not break him.

"The Lady Jane Whitmore!"

Morgan smiled when he noticed the eyes of many of the young men in the court admiring his daughter. She'd packed away all her black gowns, her official mourning period for her Will at an end.

"Beauty," one of them murmured.

"Perhaps we'll make a good match for her here Morgan," Bess murmured. He nodded.

"My grandson needs a father and though I wish it had been Will I will only allow her to be courted by one worthy of her."

Ambrosius approached the young widow and bowed to her. "May I have this dance, Lady Whitmore?"

She held out her hand and smiled. "You may Lord Crow."

He clasped her small hand in his large one and drew her closer to him as the music began to play.

"You know our English dances!" she cried happily.

"Indeed I do my lady!"

"You walk and talk like a man, yet your form is of straw. How is this possible?"

"I was made from enchanted straw my lady."

"Do you ever desire to be human?"

"I have never considered it."

"Hmm…perhaps you should consider it. You dance very well."

"As do you my lady."

"…Jane seems content dancing with Lord Crow," Bess remarked to her husband.

"He is a pleasant fellow. Ah, if only he were human!"

"She may still find a good man here. I won't lose hope, and neither should you…oh!" Bess exclaimed when he lifted her off her feet and spun her around. "Are you trying to make me fly like a bird, husband?" she teased.

"More like an angel darling," he murmured. "You are my angel."

They glanced over at Catherine dancing with the shorter Mayor of Emerald City. Everyone in this strange land had been so kind to her that part of her longed to stay a while longer but her heart and duty lured her back to England.

"I am going to miss her Morgan."

He sighed. "As am I but we will have the mirror to speak to her whenever we wish, and we can return to England to visit sometime now that we know how to use the travel storms."

"The time differences disturb me greatly. Perhaps we should not risk it."

"Perhaps that will change in time."

"May I have dance with your bride, Lord Mayford?" they heard a man ask behind them. They turned around to face a tall man wearing a gold antlered headpiece and velvet green robes. He bowed. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Asgard."

"Ahhh….ahhh…of course…." Morgan stammered.

"Close your mouth my lord or you will catch insects in it," the Norse god teased.

"And I will dance with you Lord Mayford," Glinda giggled when she approached them. "You have him all flustered Loki as I will be when you give me the next dance!"

"Glinda the Naughty strikes again! I have not yet asked you, minx!"

"But you will," she murmured.

"How Alexander tolerates you…come Lady Mayford. Take care Lord Mayford. I do not call Princess Glinda 'the Naughty" without cause!"

Bess was equally speechless when the Norse god took her hand and led her into the next dance.

"I am a man of my word. I do not intend to steal you from your husband, just dance."

"Are you a god, my lord?"

"I am but I don't think of myself as one…just a man who enjoys a bit of mischief. You and your husband intrigue me greatly."

"Why?"

"Things I have seen. I have the Sight as he does though mine is much clearer."

"Can you See anything about us?"

"Oh, I can, my lady. You will have the child you long for, but you must be patient."

"I want to be, but I am getting longer in the tooth."

"Not so long Bess. Love is the most powerful magic in all the realms, powerful enough even to make one feel younger than their years. Do you not see it in your husband?"

"I do," she murmured.

"Your love is magic so powerful it will cross realms and time."

"What does that mean?"

He smirked and tapped her nose. "The princess will be awakened by the kiss of a knight in blue. Commit these words to memory, Bess. They will give you hope when you feel you are lost in darkness."

"I am never lost without Morgan."

He pointed to her chest. "You will feel his presence even when time and space part you and it will comfort you."

"Are you certain you are not a God of Love? You speak of it so eloquently."

"Nay I am well versed in mischief though a novice in love and have felt the magic it creates."

"Morgan and I…we're mere mortals."

"Ahh but even mortals can create powerful magic in love, Bess. Have you not experienced this now that you are wed?"

She blushed. "You are speaking of…."

"I am. Yes, you have created a great deal of magic together and you will create more in the years to come." He chuckled. "Ah, so my protegee is behaving herself nicely. For now."

"…Forgive me Your Highness but why does Loki call you Glinda 'the Naughty'?" Morgan inquired of Glinda.

Glinda laughed. "Oh, because I was a bit wild in my youth Lord Mayford and I fancied him."

"Ah."

"I admit to being a bit reckless to catch his eye but one such trick did not please my father."

"What did you do?"

"I stole his clothes while he was swimming in a forest pool."

"Your Highness!"

"You must try it sometime with your bride! Have you had your first bath together yet?"

"Well…ahhh…."

"I will take that as a yes."

"And your father caught you?"

"He was spying on me through his Seeing Globe. He was going to have me beaten but Loki intervened and told my father he would punish me himself."

"And did he….?"

"No, my lord he did not. Loki does not believe in beating children. He projected an image of him paddling me to my father but all we were doing was talking. He gave me a sound scolding and told me that my punishment instead would be that I would become his student in magic."

"My daughter has done many naughty things, but I never struck her. Scolded her yes but never struck her. My father would often beat me and my brother."

"I am told you are twin but because so much time has passed on the Other Side, you look as he would at your age."

"Yes."

She smiled. "If my husband is as handsome as you in his winter years, I will be content!"

"Ah! There is the naughtiness Loki spoke of."

"Embrace your naughtiness my lord. It will add a little magic to your loveplay!"

"Well my lord has she driven you mad yet?" Loki laughed when he brought Bess over to them.

"No but I suspect she's drive you mad a time or two!"

"That she has but perhaps I'll have better luck with Lilliana!"

"I wouldn't count on it. She is my daughter!"

"Speaking of daughters, perhaps yours will do me the honor of a dance, Lord Mayford."

"I fear you may have a difficult time of it, Loki. She has refused to dance with anyone other than the Queen's advisor."

"Yes, that Scarecrow does dance well for a man made of enchanted straw. Still I will make the effort!"

Ambrosius surrendered his dance partner to the Norse god with great reluctance and sought a dance with Queen Catherine.

"They are battling within you," Loki murmured to Jane.

"What are, my lord?"

"Darkness and Light. You must find the balance between the two or you must pay the price."

"Price?"

"You may be able to shield from your father, but you cannot shield yourself from me, little girl. Were I not forbidden to interfere in the affairs of this realm I would blast her foul presence from your soul myself!"

"You are trying to frighten me."

"You should be frightened, you silly chit. You have no idea what you've bound yourself to."

"Then you're a fool. I've done what I've had to do."

His eyes narrowed to slits. "Listen and listen well, girl. There is dark spot on your heart that grows darker with every evil deed you do. The only thing that is preventing it from being completely consumed by the darkness is its anchor to your humanity. And do you know what that is, girl? That anchor is your FATHER! The one you love most. The darkness that is threatening to consume your heart and soul will one day demand a price….HE will be the price, girl! Would you do it? Would you trade your father's life for the full power of the darkness?"

"No! It's all lies…it wouldn't make me…"

"Now who is the bigger fool, girl," he sneered. "Cast the darkness out or your father's life will be the price you pay. Even if he does not die at your hands, that demoness will send a vessel to do the deed for her."

"You know nothing," Jane spat.

"So be it. Ignore my warnings and your father's blood will be on your hands."

Jane returned to Ambrosius and the pair resumed their dances. Loki watched with a frown. Evil would return to Nonestica in the guise of the beautiful young girl who harnessed magic from it and Midgard as he called Earth and there was nothing he could do to prevent it except pray it never came to pass. He spotted Catherine across the room currently without a dancing partner and bowed to her.

"May I have this dance, Your Grace? I am Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Asgard….well one of them anyway!"

"I would be delighted, Your Highness."

_Ah Catherine,_ he thought sadly as they began to dance. _These will be the last joyful years you will have. _

"How are you enjoying Oz?"

"Very much! Your culture is the same as ours in many ways yet in others different. Ah, I would like to stay longer but I fear I cannot."

"England needs you. You were born a daughter of Spain but becoming Queen of England was your destiny. Never forget who you are Catherine of Aragon!"

"I will never forget but I fear I have failed in my duty to give the King a son."

"You have given him a daughter Catherine. Your mother ruled Castille in her own right. Your Mary should rule England. The fears drilled into your kings from the time of Matilda should be buried in the past. Do you not recall how well you defended England from the Scots while Henry was off in France fighting a war he was never meant to win?"

"I do. It was…"

"It was not his victory. It was YOURS!"

_And you will win an even greater victory in the years to come, Catherine of Aragon. For many years you will live in the shadow of Anne Boleyn but one day people will look back, remember and honor you! _

He'd visited England under a glamour spell many years later and indeed there was a woman ruling England in her own right, but it was not Mary. She'd been succeeded by Anne Boleyn's daughter Elizabeth whom the people had named 'Gloriana'. He'd been mildly impressed.

Catherine smiled faintly. "You are very kind, my lord."

He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "Perhaps we will meet again Your Grace."

_The time the realms unite, _he thought, releasing her hand and taking her back to Arthur. At dawn Olga would activate the travel storm that would take Catherine back to England.

Dorothy was already in deep conversation with the Earl of Mayford when she joined them.

"Of course, you may become a Tin Man, Morgan. Tik Tok will have to train you but being a Tin Man is not so different from being a soldier."

"Being a Tin Man will require me to stay in the city will it not?"

"No, there is a Tin Man base in Finaqua. You will be stationed there. Bess, since Morgan will be in Finaqua it would be better if you served in Glinda's household."

"We're a small house Dorothy," Glinda reminded her.

"Yet you need a governess for Lilliana and Zorinda and young Malcolm will be a good playmate for the girls as will Bess and Morgan's future children."

"It is perfect, Dorothy!"

"Thank you, Your Grace," Bess said softly.

Soon it was time for everyone to retire for the evening.

"I feel as if I am a new man," Morgan confessed to his bride that evening in their new palace apartments. "I have my beautiful bride, my daughter, my grandson. I could not ask for more."

"I want to have your child very much," she murmured.

"You will in time, sweet Bess." He kissed her softly. "Are you nervous about joining Princess Glinda's household?"

"A little but I will manage. I've handled myself well enough in the Tudor court and Princess Glinda's household is very small." She reached up and stroked his beard. "You will be a fine Tin Man, husband."

"I will do my best," he said with a smile and kissed her again before they drifted off to sleep.

Two days after Catherine's departure for England Morgan and Bess departed for Finaqua along with Princess Glinda and her family. The Whitmores' new Mayford Manor was now beside Finaqua Palace, by a beautiful crystal blue lake. Bess adored the small gazebo that had been constructed by the lake for the residents to sit in and enjoy the spectacular view.

"Though I do enjoy court life here at Finaqua is where I am most content," Glinda confessed.

"Morgan and I were always happier away from court too." Bess murmured while she held a sleeping Princess Lilliana in her arms. Lilliana had taken to her immediately, Zorinda did not. The youngest princess seemed to have no affection for her parents either.

Jane surprised her father and stepmother by expressing a desire to stay in Emerald City. Morgan had been concerned for his daughter's well-being from the moment they'd crossed realms, but he'd seen no signs of dark magic upon their arrival. Though Ozmalita believed she needed to be trained in the Temple of Lurline, she was instead taking magic lessons from Queen Dorothy herself.

Morgan's Tin Man training, supervised by Alexander, was similar to his knight's training and though he was much older than the first time he'd picked up a sword his skills were still as sharp as they'd been when he was serving on the battlefields of Bosworth, Stoke and Flodden.

"You have the skill to be more than a Tin Man, Morgan." Alexander praised as they stood on the lawn, swords in hand. Alexander's sword bore a striking resemblance to the swords wielded by the warriors in the Orient. "Yes, it is the Will of the Goddess that you be trained to be a Talon of the Dragon."

"What is a Talon of the Dragon?"

"They are warriors bound to protect the Guardians of the Balance though many Talons and Talon Masters have been Guardians themselves. We are identified by certain markings on our skin." Alexander removed his doublet and turned his back, showing the elder earl a series of markings on his arm and shoulder blade. There was a large dragon on his shoulder blade and crossed swords on his upper arm. "Those with their markings to the left serve the House of Ozopov. Those with our markings on the right serve the House of Strogoff."

"Don't you think I am a bit…old to be a warrior?"

"One is never too old to be a warrior Morgan. Now pick up your sword and let us begin again."

**The United Realms**

**Mayford Manor**

**Summer, 2019**

"You were a Talon of the Dragon?" Rumple asked.

"Who rose to the rank of Master and all my training passed to Archie." David explained. "That's how his was able to rise in the ranks so easily. Blood memories. You Saw it when you came to my parents the day I was reborn."

"And sent you on the paths you needed to take to become what you are now."

"And I remember Beth being my governess," Lilly said to Rumple "For the first three years of our lives your father, Zorinda and I were raised together, and Malcolm and I were formally betrothed on our third birthday."

"Wait a minute! You and Papa were _betrothed_?" Rumple exclaimed.

"We were," Lilly confessed sadly. "Your father was different then Rumple."

"Oh aye…he would have been!"

"I never should've left," David moaned, burying his face in his hands. "Everything that happened…it was my fault. I should have stayed."

"You couldn't," Adora spoke up. "You were a mortal born with Eye of Aramon but also one of the purest hearts in all the realms and your light was driving away the darkness that was slowly consuming your daughter and grandson. Alemedia knew this and those of you that are former Dark Ones know what she was prepared to do to ensure that Malcolm and Jane become her servants."

"By destroying the only anchors to their humanity," DG said sadly. "She would have sent one of her Shadows to do it because her hold on Jane was weakening."

"She didn't need them. HE was her vessel!" Angelique snarled, glaring at Henry.

"Was I? Who convinced me he was a traitor and deserved a traitor's death? It was YOU, witch! His own flesh and blood!" Henry countered.

"You lie!"

"No, he doesn't dearie! You forget every Dark One has the memories of his or her predecessor. You convinced the king to execute your father while you were living in England as Miranda DuVal."

"Angelique!" Beth gasped. "Tell me you didn't!"

"She did," Jane Seymour defended. "She was a frequent visitor to Henry's bed while I was pregnant with Edward and he told me later he was willing to spare Morgan for the sake of his children until she convinced him it was better to put him to death for the good of the realm."

"Jane! Tell me it isn't true. Tell me it isn't true!" David demanded.

She buried her face in her hands. "It is true…all of it!" she sobbed. "I had to…she made me…"

"Ye chose power over yer father," Rumple accused. "Just as I chose the curse over my own son. Great power demands great sacrifice. To hae the full power of the Dark One ye gave the life of the one ye loved most."

David stood up and walked away.

"You bitch," Beth hissed, shaking her fist at the witch. "You killed us and left our children orphans for a revenge you didn't need to take! David! David!"

She hurried after him.

"It wasn't worth it, was it Angeligue," Barnabas taunted.

"Shut up!"

Beth found her husband sitting by the lake.

"David?"

"I'm alright."

"No, you're not." She sat beside him and took him in her arms. "You can't hide your pain from me any more than I can hide mine from you."

"She wanted me dead…my own daughter wanted me dead!" he wept into her shoulder. "I can't even bear to look at her now."

"You don't need her. You have me and our children and we would never think that of you." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. "We love you more than anything else in the world David Andrew Molk and don't you ever forget it!"

"I'm not ready to go back yet," he confessed.

"Then we won't. We'll stay here for a while."

"The kids still with Keith and Nessa?" he asked referring to Beth's adoptive father and stepmother.

"Yes."

He lay down and drew her down to him.

"Just stay here with me a while."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be," she murmured and laid her head on his chest. Moments later they drifted off to sleep.

"…Your father wasn't the only one you sacrificed to take the full power of the Dark One, was he Jane?"

Angelique spun around to see who was speaking, her eyes wide.

"Glitch, you come to watch the show?" DG asked Ambrose Benu, her mother's former advisor and DG's biological father.

"You know why I'm here, Doll and so does she!" he spat.

"Does someone wanna tell me what the bloody hell is going on?" Rumple demanded.

"Oh, I know," DG murmured. "Rumple, Glitch was the Scarecrow in his first life."

"I was…until she made me human again," Ambrose said angrily, pointing at Angelique. "You inherited your ability to find loopholes in any magical issue from her. She wanted the full power of the Dark One and knew it demanded the sacrifice of the one she loved most. She thought she wouldn't need to kill her father if she offered up someone else in his place…me."

"I also knew my father wasn't the only one that would die…so would Bess and any children they had if they shared an emotional bond with me. I couldn't allow Bess to conceive until I was certain my plan would work…"

"So, you gave her a potion to prevent it," Archie sneered. "But your plan failed so you had to go back to England and make sure David died only you got the King of England to do your dirty work for you."

"If David and Beth were so happy in Nonestica, why did they return to England?" Belle asked.

"I don't think David's ready to talk about it," Rumple muttered.

"He doesn't have to. You forget I have part of Morgan's soul in me and access to its memories. I can tell you why," Archie said.

"So can I," spoke up Catherine of Aragon. "They came back for me."

**Finaqua **

**Fall, 1520 **

Bess raced across the meadow on her beautiful blue mare Neru with her husband in pursuit on his steed, Neru's mate Nero. The horses had been gifts from Dorothy as a reward for the couple's loyal service to the Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov. Along with his duties as a Tin Man and Talon of the Dragon the people on his estate grew the finest fruits and vegetables in all Oz. The Whitmores were well loved by the people in Finaqua and Emerald City.

"Hurry Neru! That husband of mine owes me a boon and I'll have it," Bess giggled.

"Aye and while you're collecting your boon, I will collect my own from my mate in the stables," the mare laughed. "They are fine lovers these mates of ours, are they not, Mistress?"

Bess smiled. "Oh, I do wish I would be with child soon!"

"The goddess will bless you with a child when she feels it is time. Do not lose hope of that, Mistress. Ahhh, taking a shortcut through the woods, are they? Well, we'll show them! To the woods, Mistress!"

"Here they come Nero," Morgan whispered to his horse.

"Aye and then we'll give them a merry chase!" the horse chuckled. "You are not trying very hard to win Master."

"No, I am not. Having spent weeks in Emerald City alone I long for nothing more than a few pleasant hours with my wife."

"As I long for a few pleasant hours with my Neru. Neru approaches!"

"We must keep up the appearance that we want to win Nero. Go, go!" Morgan nudged the horse forward as Bess rode ahead of their hiding place, awaiting him at the manor house.

"You owe me a boon my lord," she murmured.

"Indeed I do." He dismounted and walked over to her, pulling her out of her saddle and into his arms. "Nero, Neru, return to the stables."

The horses laughed. "As you wish my lord!"

"Ah sweet Bess I've missed you," Morgan murmured, removing her hood and carding his fingers through her long chestnut hair.

"As I have missed you my love," she whispered. "Take me to our bedchamber!"

He swung her up in his arms and carried her into the house. The few servants they had went about their business, accustomed to the lord and lady of the house often retiring early only disturbing them when it was time to break their fasts.

He carried her into their bedchamber and deposited her on the bed, crawling in beside her. "Is Malcolm at the palace with Lilliana and Zorinda?"

"Yes. Glinda has asked for him to spend the night. He enjoys being with Lilly."

"Mmmm…maybe I should approach Alexander about a betrothal," he murmured as he nuzzled her neck and began to unlace her gown.

"It would be a good match. Hurry husband, I burn…" she moaned.

"Wanton," he teased.

She pulled his doublet over his head and tossed it to the floor. "I have not had you in my bed in weeks my lord." She drew his head down and kissed him hotly.

"And have you forgotten your lessons in that time, wife?" he inquired silkily.

"I will need more instruction, husband."

"Will you be cross if it requires us to be abed most of the day?"

"I would welcome it darling. I love you Morgan. I've missed you so much. Perhaps now we will have a child."

"Sweet Bess, do not distress yourself. The goddess will bless us when she feels the time is right. Let me love you for now," he pleaded while he removed the last of her clothing, desire burning in his blue eyes as he gazed down at the beautiful face and body that haunted his long lonely nights in the Emerald City.

"Love me Morgan," she moaned, pressing her body closer to his. "Love me…"

Their time in Nonestica had been so blissful that Bess rarely missed her life back in England. She'd contacted Catherine several times through the mirror and the Queen seemed content having only constructs of her dear friends for company though Henry still refused to grant permission for them to wed as Morgan and Bess feared. Morgan would often go to the Emerald City on business, staying no longer than a week or two for that was all the longer he could bear to be parted from his wife. Bess thrived as a governess in Princess Glinda's household. The princess Lilliana adored her and Zorinda, once distant now bestowed more affection on her than her own parents. Feeling court was no place for her son, Jane had decided to send Malcolm to Finaqua with her father and stepmother. Morgan was not pleased that his daughter spent so little time with his grandson, and it was not long before Malcolm began to behave as if Bess and Morgan were his parents.

"Did you see Jane while you were at court?" Bess inquired of her husband later as she lay in his arms.

"Yes…and I'm afraid she's caused quite the scandal."

"Oh Morgan, not again!"

"Tis not an unpleasant one this time, Bess. She has demonstrated the power of true love."

"She is in love? Oh, how wonderful! Who with?"

"Lord Crow."

"The Scarecrow? The Queen's advisor? But how…?"

"It seems that her love is strong enough that it changed his form. He is no longer a man made of straw but human!"

"And I suspect he will be asking your permission to court her?"

"I will grant it. They suit each other well and perhaps once Jane weds Malcolm will return to her."

"I would not be too certain of that darling. He has been with us all this time and calls us "Mama" and "Papa". She has come to visit him while you were away, and he was distant with her as Zorinda is with Alexander and Glinda. Perhaps I am not meant to have children of my own but to raise and love the children of others."

"Would that be such a terrible fate darling?"

"No. I love the children though I do wish their parents would spend less time at court."

Morgan rose from the bed and tossed another log onto the fire then returned to the bed and yanked the coverlet and pillows out from under her and made a makeshift bed for them by the hearth.

"Come to me sweet Bess."

"Oh I have missed these nights Morgan," she whispered as he took her in his arms and laid her down and made love to her tenderly, wishing that they could make time stop and live in these moments for as many weeks as they'd been parted. The winds howled and shrieked outside the windows, a stern reminder that soon a cold winter would come to the realm, but they would always have a warm refuge in each other's arms.

**Emerald Palace **

**April 12, 1521**

Two very nervous toddlers accompanied by grandparents and parents stood before the Queen and her High Council about to take part in one of Oz's grandest ceremonies.

"Morgan and Elizabeth Whitmore, grandparents of Malcolm Whitmore, you come here today to ask for the blessing of the goddess and your Queen for the hand of my kinswoman Princess Lilliana Strogoff's hand in marriage.

"We do, Your Grace." they confirmed.

"Glinda and Alexander Mysticos Storgoff, Guardians of the South and West Gates, parents of Princess Lilliana, Guardian of the West Gate, do you come here today to give your consent for Lilliana's hand in marriage to Malcolm Whitmore?"

"We do consent," the couple announced in unison.

"Lilliana and Malcolm, join hands," Dorothy instructed.

Malcolm shuffled his feet.

"Go on Malcolm," Morgan encouraged.

"Come on Malcolm. Like when we pway. 'Member?" Lilly reminded him.

He smiled and clasped her hands in his.

"Malcolm, repeat after me as best you can: 'I, Malcolm Whitmore, pledge my troth to Princess Lilliana Strogoff, Guardian of the West Gate. I pledge to be her heart and soul in this life and all lives after.'" Dorothy instructed.

"I…Malcolm Whitmore….pwedge me roth to Pwincess Willy Stwogoff…ummm…Warian of Est Ate…Pwedge to be 'er 'eart an soul in this wife an all wives affer. Papa, did I do good?" the child asked worriedly.

"You did fine lad, just fine," Morgan reassured him.

"And now you, Lilly. "You will say 'I, Lilliana Strogoff, Guardian of the West Gate, pledge my troth to Malcolm Whitmore, my heart and soul in this life and all lives after."

Lilly smiled back. "I…Willy Strowgoff, Warian of West Ate pwedge my twof to Malcom Wifmore, my heart an soul in this wife an all wifes affer."

"By my will and the will of the goddess on this day of your eighteenth annuals, you Malcolm and Lilliana will complete your bond before your Queen and your goddess in the Temple of Lurline." Dorothy waved her hand over the toddlers and kissed the tops of their heads.

"Can we pway now?" Malcom asked. Morgan chuckled.

"Yes, you can go play!"

The children raced out of the room and down the hall to the nursery where Zorinda and the other children waited.

"They've been practicing speaking their betrothal vows from the moment we told them about them," Bess remarked to Dorothy. "Our Malcolm has been reciting them to us every night before bed, he so wanted to do them right."

"He's a good boy and will serve as the Heart of the West well," Glinda murmured. "The dark taint on his heart at birth is being conquered by your light Morgan. When the time is right Alexander and I will begin his mage training and you will instruct him on the ways of the Talon."

"I am giving Ambrosius the trial next week."

They were also making plans for his marriage to Jane. The couple announced their betrothal two days after Malcolm and Lilliana's own betrothal ceremony.

"We would like to bring Malcolm back to court with us," Ambrosius informed Jane's parents that evening.

"Jane, you know life at court is not easy for a child," Morgan reminded his daughter. "I have asked you repeatedly to make more visits to your son at Finaqua and you have not done so. Now my grandson thinks of me as his papa and Bess as his mama. The transition will be difficult."

"I need him at court with me, Papa. Ambrosius must be his papa now and you and Bess need to have a family of your own."

"We have been wed three years and still I show no signs of being with child," Bess said sadly. "Perhaps I am not meant to have one of my own but to raise and love the children of others."

"But he is my son," Jane said firmly. "He will return to court with me."

"Then you will take more time out of your courtly duties for him daughter. If I feel you are not, we will petition the Queen and you will surrender custody of him to Bess and me."

"Agreed Papa," Jane sighed.

Later that evening she teleported into the kitchens and summoned the bottle of infertility potion she'd ordered the kitchen maid whose heart she'd taken three years earlier to introduce into Bess's wine every evening at dinner and burned it. It was time her stepmother raised her own children.

**Emerald City **

**Summer, 1521**

Queen Dorothy always celebrated the beginning of the summer solstice with a costume ball and the theme she'd chosen for the new season was what she called a "Jazz Age" ball. The garments Morgan and Bess would wear had been delivered to their apartments at the palace that morning. There was a black pinstriped suit for him with a white silk dress shirt and tie with a black hat and a royal blue fringe sequined dress with a black feathered headband and matching satin gloves. The garments were made with less laces and buttons than they were accustomed to wearing and far more revealing, yet he could not wait to see his lovely bride in her new evening attire.

"How handsome you are husband," Bess murmured once they finished dressing.

He held up the tie. "How do I wear this?"

Bess picked up the scrap of silk and draped it around his neck, tying the ends into a knot. "I asked Ambrosius to show me how to do this."

He drew her into his arms and kissed her. "I will have you tie this for me as often as I wear these garments." He held her back a step or two. "So beautiful. The dress, the colors suit you, but I must add one final touch." He tucked a blue rose into her headband. "Ah…perfect. Shall we go my lady?"

"We shall my lord."

The ball was already in full swing when they arrived with guests dancing to the music the royal orchestra had been instructed to play. There was a large metal contraption parked outside the palace gates that Dorothy called an automobile that guests were given permission to go for rides in.

"Morgan, Bess, you look wonderful!" Dorothy exclaimed.

"These are the garments you wore in your time?"

"Yes…and the dancing and the music. Come along! I'll teach you!" She grabbed Morgan's arm and dragged the couple to the center of the room, Morgan and Bess struggling to keep up with the Queen's graceful movements.

"Your Grace, is there not a slower dance we could do?" Morgan panted. Bess nodded in agreement. Her feet ached in the shoes she wore.

"Do you waltz?" she asked them.

It was their favorite courtly dance. Dorothy motioned to the orchestra and the uptempo music ceased. A young lady in waiting stood on the dais and began to sing.

"_Someday he'll come along,_

_The man I love_

_And he'll be big and strong,_

_The man I love_

_And when he comes my way,_

_I'll do my best to make him stay…." _

Bess laid her head on her husband's chest, the words to the sound describing her love for the man who held her in his arms so perfectly and this the perfect moment to give him the news they'd waited years for.

"Morgan?"

"Hmmm…?"

"I have missed my courses again."

"Bess, darling, is it possible? Are you with child?"

She smiled. "I believe I am."

He glanced down at her belly as a vision flashed before his eyes…a vision of a tall young man with his face, bright blue eyes and ginger hair.

"A son Bess! We are to have a son!" He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her passionately. "I love you sweet Bess!"

"And I love you!" she sobbed and kissed him back.

"_He'll build a little home_

_Just meant for two_

_From which I'll never roam_

_Who would, would you?_

_And so all else above_

_I'm waiting for the man I love…" _

She didn't need to wait for the man she loved. She'd already found him and soon their little home would be for more than two.


	13. An Unusual Arrangement

An Unusual Arrangement

Author's Notes: Some of Angelique's story references the Big Finish Audiodramas The Tony and Cassandra Mysteries.

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Summer, 2019

There was nothing David enjoyed waking up to more than having his wife beside him. He turned on his side and propped his head up on his arm to watch her sleep, a small smile on his lips. How fortunate he felt he was to have a woman like her loving him in both lifetimes and he would love no other woman in every life they lived.

Her eyes fluttered open and the beautiful smile that greeted him every morning in their bed was on her lips. He lowered his head and kissed her softly.

"Mmm one of the best parts of waking up with you," she murmured as he took her in his arms and rolled over in the grass.

"We spent many mornings on this lake, didn't we Sleeping Beauty?"

"And nights," she reminded him as she laid her head on his chest. "Are you all right honey? Hearing what Angelique said…."

"She's still my daughter…and part of me will always love her but I can't forgive her. She took us away from our children and each other for five centuries for power that did nothing but bring her misery."

"Do we tell the kids about her? They don't remember their past lives yet and Adora said they won't until they turn eighteen."

"We could say she's an old friend of the family." He sighed. "The more I think about it, the more I wish we'd stayed in Oz. Everything fell apart after we left."

"We would've been killed too, and you know that. All we did was buy time. Not enough of it but we did. Killing us was the only way Jane could take the full power of the Dark One and nothing was going to stop her."

"I know. It's going to hurt for a while."

"And it's not the first time we've had to heal each other after others hurt us."

"No," he admitted. "But we need to go back now and tell them what happened." He took her hand and helped her to her feet. Arm in arm they walked back to the house.

The film crew had taken a break, giving the guests time to relax and enjoy each other's company though the former members of the Tudor court continued to keep each other at a distance. Angelique had returned to her seat beside Barnabas, her former lover strangely silent. Like her father, Barnabas's feelings were conflicted. The last time he'd seen her was during a journey back to the year 1840 and she'd been killed by a descendant of his second greatest nemesis, the zealot Reverend Trask. He'd observed a version of himself in a time band running parallel to that one in love with a woman who bore a striking resemblance to her and he'd made himself believe she had been his greatest love. It was madness to have those feelings after the many centuries of bitter history between them and the dreaded curse she'd placed upon him.

"I've lost him," she wept. "I'm not like that anymore, Barnabas! I'm not! The woman I am in 1970 is the woman I've become from learning from the mistakes of my past. You changed. Why can't I?"

"I want to believe you have and so will your father, but you cannot lie to him any longer Angelique."

She smiled and brushed the tears from eyes. "Now you understand why I always return to you, dear Barnabas. You have always been the wisest of us."

"When you died in 1840….?"

"I returned the wife of Sky Rumson," she clarified, her eyes narrowing to slits. "I offered their dark souls to Alemedia in exchange for my freedom. I no longer serve her, but my powers remain intact, weak though they may be."

"We looked for you when we returned to 1971 but you left Collinwood."

"You would be shocked to learn where I've been in that time."

"Oh?"

"Jane," she heard her father's voice say.

"Papa…." She croaked.

He held up his hand. "I can't….I can't forgive you for what you did to me and Beth…but you are my daughter…..and I still love you."

"I know nothing I do can make amends for it, Papa," Angelique confessed sadly then smiled. "I have at last learned to use my powers for good."

"And how is that?" Beth asked with a hint of bitterness.

Angelique gestured and a card appeared in her hand. She handed it to her former stepmother. On it was written ANTHONY PETERSEN AND CASSANDRA COLLINS: PARANORMAL INVESTIGATORS.

"You're a PI?" David asked.

Angelique nodded then went on to explain how she and former Collins attorney Tony Peterson began investigating paranormal activity in cities across the globe. The partnership had its ups and downs but for the most part it seemed to work well. Beth and David were shocked to learn that they'd been asked to investigate Mayford Manor's hauntings in the early 80s.

"Tony wasn't aware of it, but I conducted a séance to contact your spirit. You didn't answer me."

"What year?"

"1987."

"I was still under the Dark Curse then so I couldn't. Archie broke it in 1989 during the 'quake but had to reactivate it until Emma came back to Storybrooke."

"So I kept looking and came across Movarro's website and there you were."

"Here I am," he murmured. "Belle, we're ready when you are."

Belle signaled to the crew and they resumed filming.

"Before the break you told us you were still living in Oz. Were you pregnant at the time?"

"Yes," she recalled with a smile. "And gave birth to our first son, Henry but in this life he's our oldest Jasper."

Oz (The Outer Zone)

Winter, 1522

Five hundred years prior to the Final Eclipse

Morgan and Bess would contact Queen Catherine twice a month and always after her attendants retired for the evening, the queen overjoyed that her dearest friends were expecting their first child. Bess's construct remained at court though Morgan's was still in exile at Mayford. The King still hadn't forgiven Morgan for Jane's actions at court and still refused permission to marry her and there were rumors at court he planned to marry them to others. They suspected the candidates were William De la Vargas and Katherine Tilney. William had arrived in England prior to the couple's departure as an envoy to Charles V of Spain while Katherine Tilney was a distant cousin of Thomas Howard's.

"I never want to return to England. Never!" Bess cried vehemently as she lay beside him that evening. "William is no fool nor is Katherine. They are being used in Thomas Howard and the King's political games."

"They are but we can rest knowing that we are beyond their influence. Do not distress yourself sweet Bess," Morgan pleaded, his hand gently caressing her belly. "It is not good for you or our son."

"Must we name him Henry?"

"We are naming him not for the current king but his father," he reminded her.

"Our first daughter's name shall be Catherine," she declared.

He chuckled.

"Darling, our first child has not yet been born and you are making plans for our second."

"I intend to give you the house full of children you see in your visions Morgan Whitmore. I…oh!"

"Bess…darling, what is it?"

She covered her hand with his and moved it across her belly. He felt a slight pressure beneath his palm and his eyes filled with tears. He nuzzled her shoulder and pressed a kiss to the side of her neck.

"Henry, our sweet boy," he murmured. "We will meet you soon."

He felt another gentle kick against his palm.

"He has your temperament," she laughed.

"And yours my lady wife. Ah, I wish I were younger again that I could teach our son all the skills I learned as a lad in the York court."

"You are not an old man Morgan Whitmore," she scolded. "You have proven this to me many days and nights in this bed."

Having lived so long in the English court, Morgan expected their intimate relations to cease once she was with child, but he and Bess had received quite a shock from the midwife once he began speaking of her lying in.

"Why must she be placed in a separate bedchamber my lord?"

"She is with child."

"Ah. I'd forgotten. You have come from the time period where women were closeted in the months prior to childbirth. A silly custom that I was pleased to see abolished by Queen Dorothy. No, my lord, Lady Whitmore will remain in your bedchamber and I will instruct the housemaids in the proper care for her during and after the birth of the child and you will be given instruction on the intimate relations that will not harm the child."

His eyes widened. "What madness do you speak? A husband must cease relations with his wife while she is with child!"

"Ah but he can, and he should until the proper time," the midwife countered with a smirk. "Did you take a mistress while your first wife was in confinement, my lord?"

"I certainly did not!" he fumed.

"In this realm the months before a woman gives birth are a time of great joy and uncertainty. While she eagerly awaits the birth of her child, she will also feel insecure as her body endures the physical changes necessary to ensure the child's safe passage from the womb to the mortal realm. She needs to feel that her body's changes will not lessen your desire for her and encourage you to seek pleasure elsewhere."

"I would never take a mistress! Instruct me as you will, my lady."

"Sweet Bess, having you as my bride has made me feel more alive than I have in years. So beautiful," he whispered as he brushed his lips across her shoulder and caressed her thigh, pushing her nightdress up over her swollen belly. The midwife predicted she would give birth later that winter and though he was uneasy at first Morgan discovered that the changes in his wife's body as her pregnancy progressed hadn't lessened his desire for her nor had hers for him.

"You tempt me greatly husband," she murmured.

"As you tempt me my lady wife," he said as he kissed her and slowly removed her nightdress, a small smile forming on his lips as he gazed upon her.

He sat up and removed his nightshirt, letting it fall on the chair beside their bed and drew her into his arms. "Shall we surrender to our temptation, sweet Bess?"

"Yes," she moaned softly and drew his mouth down to hers. They made love slowly and cautiously yet not without the great passion they'd felt on their wedding night. Their intimate relations would cease in the final two months of her pregnancy, but they were determined to enjoy every moment they could take until then.

Though she was heavy with child Bess insisted on carrying on her duties as governess to Princesses Lilliana and Zorinda. The girls enjoyed learning about other side culture and one of their favorite pastimes was dressing in Other Side garments. They could also communicate in English and Ozian. Ozian had been a difficult language for Bess to learn at first but she'd finally mastered it after living in Oz for three years. Morgan had risen to the rank of Master in the legendary Talons of the Dragon order while continuing to supervise the Southern Realm division of the Tin Men. Jane remained at court, she and Malcolm now being trained in light magic by Princess Glinda and Queen Dorothy.

Morgan and Bess were at dinner one evening when they heard the howling winds of a travel storm active on the grounds. Morgan drew his sword.

"Stay here," he commanded his wife and went outside with sword drawn as the funnel cloud vanished revealing one of the Queen's messengers.

"Her Majesty Queen Dorothy asks that you come to court," he said.

"Is she mad? Lady Whitmore cannot travel in her condition!"

"Lady Whitmore's health and safety have been considered and precautions are being taken."

"Why have we been summoned?"

"You have been summoned to speak for the House of Whitmore in the marriage ceremony of your daughter Jane to our beloved royal advisor Ambrosius Crow."

"Oh, sweet Lurline be praised! She has at last accepted! Inform Her Majesty Lady Mayford and I will be honored to speak for our house."

"I will tell Her Majesty," The messenger reached into his pouch and retrieved another travel storm token. Morgan stepped back as the cloud spun toward them. He returned to the house to find an anxious Bess awaiting him.

"Morgan, darling, what is it? Is there a rebellion?"

He took her hands in his and kissed her knuckled. "No, sweet Bess we are to attend a wedding. My Jane has at last accepted Lord Crow's proposal of marriage!"

"Oh, how wonderful! He has been good to our Jane and Malcolm. Why did she wait so long to accept?"

"I believe she still mourned Will, darling but he would have wanted her to love again. It is my hope that once she is wed, she will be free from the darkness. Come, we have many preparations to make before we depart for the Emerald City!"

Three days later the Whitmores and Strogoff departed for the Emerald City, the youngest princesses eager to witness their first wedding ceremony.

"Lady Bess, what was your wedding ceremony like?" Lilliana inquired. The twins were now five years old and could speak very well. She enjoyed speaking in English while Zorinda only spoke Ozian.

Bess smiled dreamily. "It was a beautiful ceremony, held in the Temple of Lurline. The Queen of my land, Catherine and one of the Princes spoke for my house but my parents came to me during our heart binding ceremony."

"Oh, I cannot wait until Malcom binds with me!" she cried.

"If he doesn't tire of you first," Zorinda taunted.

"Zorinda!" her mother chastised.

Bess frowned. Though she gave the girls equal attention she noticed that others did not. It had been obvious from the start that Glinda and Alexander favored Lilliana and the Norse God Loki had chosen to stand godfather to Lilliana only. Once Morgan and Bess learned Zorinda did not have godparents they pleaded for permission to serve as godparents to the elder princess.

Zorinda glared at her mother and stared out the window of the carriage. Bess took the child's hand in hers and smiled.

"You will have a bondmate of your own one day poppet," she said gently in Ozian and opened a book. "Come, read with me."

Morgan watched them with a smile. Suddenly a vision passed before his eyes, a vision of Bess teaching three little girls how to read the same book she now held in her hands. Three daughters….their daughters…all beautiful like their mother.

They arrived at the Emerald Palace the following morning. Servants raced about the palace decorating the grand ballroom for the ceremony and feast while the Queen remained in her apartments. Glinda sent the twins to play with the Queen's daughters while Morgan and Bess joined Jane in her private apartments.

"Grandpapa, Grandmama!" Malcom cried, holding out his arms to his grandfather.

"Goodness lad, you're getting tall!" Morgan laughed and picked him up.

"Miss you Grandpapa! Why can't you live at court like me?"

"I prefer a life in the country lad. and you needed to spend some time with Mama.

"Have you ever been to Neverland?" the boy whispered. Morgan flinched. Neverland was a well-kept secret amongst the children of Nonestica, a place they visited only in their dreams though many longed to stay. Those children felt unloved and unwanted and only in Neverland, among others like them and the Shadow that watched over them, did they feel loved and wanted.

"You've seen it?"

"I go there every night."

"So did I, every night when I was a lad," Morgan confessed. "Do you know why children go there?"

He nodded. "Because I don't feel alone anymore."

Morgan took the child's hand in his, "Let's walk a bit. Why do you feel you need to go to Neverland? You have your gramma and me, you have your mama and Ambrosius will soon be your father. Why do you feel unloved?"

"Mama is always away."

"What about Ambrosius?"

"He's not my papa! My real papa is in that other world! Why can't I see him?"

"Because he has gone to Paradise lad," Morgan admitted though he doubted Heaven would welcome souls as wretched as the McDermotts. They had escaped from their prison in Scotland forcing the Regency council to conduct a countrywide manhunt ending in only Diarmid's capture. The wicked sorcerer was burned at the stake while his brother remained in hiding.

"He has?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't mama tell me?"

"Because she didn't know lad. I just learned of this from the Queen of England."

"Will I ever see the world you lived in?"

"Oh, I hope so lad. Until that time, I ask that you give Ambrosius a chance to be a father to you and I will speak to your mama about spending more time with you. In time you will find you will no longer need to visit Neverland. Do you remember what the Shadow tells us: it is place for us to visit in our dreams but not to stay because we are needed in the mortal realm."

"Zori goes there too. Her mama and papa don't love her like they love Lilly."

"Surely she knows that's not true!"

"It is true Grampapa. The only people who care about her are me, you and Grandmama." Malcolm lowered his head. "Maybe I'm not meant to marry Lilly. Maybe Zori's my bondmate."

"Has Lilly ever been to Neverland."

"It doesn't want her. It only wants children like me, like Zori."

Morgan knelt before the child and placed his hands on his shoulders. "Malcolm, lad, I want you to listen to me very carefully. You need to stop going there. The more you visit, the more you'll want to stay and if you convince yourself you want to stay, you won't…you won't return."

"Why do you mean?"

"When you dream your soul leaves your body and travels to another realm, the realm of dreams. It should be the only realm where darkness cannot reach you but I fear somehow darkness has reached Neverland and it is corrupting the souls that travel there, convincing them it is the only safe place for them and it will trap them there forever."

"Did you want to stay?"

"Many times, but then I had a vision my destiny was to leave this world and go to England and now I don't need to visit Neverland. I have everything I could ever need or want here."

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Summer, 2019

"…My parents tried to pretend we'd escaped Demeter's curse, but it was always there beneath the surface," Lilly confessed sadly. "I was the favorite from the moment I was born to everyone except David and Beth. They were only ones who treated us equally."

"Because we knew from our life in the English court how dangerous it is to favor one child over another," David added. "Duchess Cecily never let anyone forget George was her favorite and because of that he thought he was entitled to everything."

"And nearly destroyed England in the process," Edward IV grumbled. His wife nodded in agreement.

"And your grandson, who prized his precious male heir, didn't realize that it was MY daughter who would hold the throne for the Tudors," Anne boasted. "To quote a woman who portrayed me in those moving pictures Morgan loves so much 'But Elizabeth is yours. Watch her as she grows; she's yours. She's a Tudor! Get yourself a son off of that sweet, pale girl if you can - and hope that he will live! But Elizabeth shall reign after you! Yes, Elizabeth - child of Anne the Whore and Henry the Blood-Stained Lecher - shall be Queen! And remember this: Elizabeth shall be a greater queen than any king of yours! She shall rule a greater England than you could ever have built! Yes - MY Elizabeth SHALL BE QUEEN! And my blood will have been well spent!' "

Henry's hands clenched into fists in his lap.

"David you said you told my father you thought there was a darkness that was corrupting Neverland. Did it ever occur to you he was the darkness you thought you saw?" Rumple inquired.

"No because Malcolm wasn't the first child who wanted to stay in Neverland. There were many of us and the souls of the children that did stay were trapped in a place called…"

"Dark Hollow," Rumple finished. "Emma, Bae and I were attacked by them when we went there to capture the Shadow. I could feel their pain and anger but as my father's dark powers grew, he would use them to steal children from other realms because he was trying to find Henry."

"Alemedia knew the key to shifting the Balance in the darkness's favor was to break the peace between the Strogoff and Ozopov," Angelique added. "The tensions were already there…they just needed the right push. Malcolm and Zorinda being drawn to Neverland was only the start. I had been promised my son would play a pivotal role in the war that was to come but his heart was tainted with light….my father's light. I had to banish it from his heart and my own."

Oz (The Outer Zone)

Winter, 1522

It had been a restless night for the Earl of Mayford, his sleep disturbed by frightening images of danger to him and his young bride, dangers that would become a heartbreaking reality if they remained in Oz. He sat up in bed and gazed down at his beloved Bess and the son she carried in their peaceful slumber beside him. He had taken a vow as a knight and as a husband and father that he would protect both with his last breath if need be.

"Sweet Bess," he sighed heavily. "Now is not the time for us to be crossing realms but I have no other choice. The darkness is coming to the land again and I cannot lose you or our son. We must return to England."

Bess's eyes fluttered open. "We go where you go," she murmured.

"You heard?"

"What you see I see, what you feel I feel, darling but what of the King? He is still cross with you and is encouraging matches for us with Lady Tilney and Lord De la Vargas. I will not marry another man with your child in my belly! You are my true husband!"

"Nor will I have you birthing our son in the Tower!" he growled. "I will do what I feel is necessary to appease his royal wrath, but I will also do what is right for our family."

"Jane will be heartbroken as will Malcolm."

"We will return to visit them when it is safe, or Jane will bring my grandson to us, but Malcolm must remain here with Jane and Ambrosius. Ambrosius wants to be a father to my grandson and now he will have the chance."

"When will we leave?"

"We will leave when Jane is safely wed to Ambrosius."

Lord and Lady Mayford were awakened at dawn the following morning to prepare for the wedding ceremony that would be held in the grand ballroom of the Emerald Palace. Jane, so fond of the Queen's 'Jazz Age' balls insisted that the wedding party and guests wear the costumes of the era. The palace staff had been working almost nonstop for two days getting the ballroom ready for the ceremony and banquet.

"Exquisite," Morgan murmured, planting a gentle kiss on his bride's shoulder. The blue gown she'd worn at the first Jazz Age ball had been altered to accommodate her growing belly.

"You are rather handsome yourself darling," she said softly. "I shall miss wearing these garments. They are more comfortable than our English ones."

"Aye, they are but perhaps we shall have our own 'Jazz Age' balls at Mayford?"

"I would like that very much." She sighed contentedly as he nibbled on her earlobe. "Ahhh were I not so big with child now…"

"We will make love again once our son is born and your strength returns," he vowed. He turned her about and kissed her tenderly. "Come, my daughter awaits us."

In her own apartments the bride made her own preparations for the ceremony. She prostrated herself on the cold marble floor, the silver dagger of the Dark One clutched tightly in her hand.

"Alemedia, my mother, grant me the strength to do your will," she prayed.

The Priestess of Shadows placed her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"To take the darkness into your heart you must cleanse it of the light. Are you willing to do this now, child?"

Her hand tightened around the hilt of the dagger as she rose to her feet.

"I am." She growled and flicked her wrist, teleporting the stunned high priestess back to the Temple of Shadows, barring her return with a spell. She heard her father and stepmother's voices in the hall and summoned the travel storm token she'd stolen from Ambrosius's laboratory that morning. "Papa, please forgive me," she murmured and waved her hand again, casting an immobilization spell. When she opened the door her father and stepmother stood outside her chamber door frozen. She teleported them out to the gardens and tossed the token, the couple still frozen as the travel storm cloud spun toward them.

"I'm sorry Papa but I am the darkness I must save you from," she wept as the storm swept them up and carried them back to England, never to return. There was one final spell to cast, the spell that would banish her father and his beloved bride from the memories of all in Oz who knew them and alter their memories of other significant events. It was a powerful spell that she'd successfully executed once before and would do so as often as needed.

"Mama, Mama!" she heard her son call out as he ran to her. "Papa Ambrose says its time!"

Jane turned around and smiled. "Then we must not keep him waiting."

"Mama, do you wish Grandpapa Morgan were here?"

"I do. Very much."

"I wish I could have known him."

"As do I, darling, as do I but he was called to Paradise with my beloved stepmother before you were born."

"Mama, I don't wanna marry Princess Lilly. I wanna marry Princess Zori."

"I will speak to the Queen about breaking the betrothal. I will admit I agreed to the betrothal in hopes that you would suit each other but now I realize Zorinda is a better match. Come, we must hurry, or your Papa Ambrose will be cross!"

She took his hand and their laughter could be heard in the gardens as they ran back to the palace.

Mayford Manor

England

Winter, 1522

They were home again, but not as they'd planned to be. Morgan suspected dark magic had been afoot, his daughter's dark magic.

"What have you done, Jane? What have you done?" he cried.

"Morgan, darling…." Bess panted, clutching her belly.

"Bess!"

"Our son….he is coming!"

"But…but you are a month too soon!"

"My lord, my lady! You have returned!" Thomas exclaimed when he emerged from the stables. He suspected as much when the earl's construct vanished suddenly. "Sweet Jesu, Mistress Lawton! You are with child!"

"She is the Countess of Mayford now. We are wed. Thomas, quickly! Fetch the midwife!" Morgan shouted, assisting his bride back to the house, calling out orders to the servants as they made their way up the stairs to his bedchamber. He was thankful there were several midwives on his estates, he'd insisted upon it once he'd learned Anne was with child. He and two of the maids removed Bess's gown and undergarments and helped her into bed. An hour later Thomas arrived with the midwife who promptly ordered the earl and his servant out of the bedchamber.

"All will be well," Thomas reassured him.

Morgan bowed his head, clutching his rosary beads in his hand as he prayed.

Let her live, sweet Jesu, let her and our child live!

The pain was unlike any she'd ever endured, and the young countess was exhausted, yet she summoned her courage, determined to deliver the healthy son she'd promised her husband. As the hours passed the midwife grew concerned that this woman like many others before her would not have the strength to endure the ordeal of childbirth.

"Mistress, mistress!" a young servant girl named Annabelle pleaded as she held the exhausted countess's hand in hers.

"Tell…the earl…I love him," Bess whispered weakly.

"You may yet be able to tell him yourself. Courage, mistress! The babe moves!" the midwife informed her. Bess rallied her strength and began to push again until the child was freed. "A son, my lady! You have a son!"

"God be praised," the young mother wept and moments later she heard his first cry before she fell into an exhausted sleep. While the midwife tended to the countess the servants bathed and swaddled the young heir to be presented to his father.

"My lord?" Annabelle said softly as she placed a hand on the sleeping earl's shoulder. He'd been keeping vigil outside his wife's bedchamber for over a day despite Thomas's pleadings to retire. Morgan raised his head slowly. "I bring you your son."

Morgan cradled his infant son in his arms, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"And Bess?"

"Mistress Lawton sleeps now my lord."

"Lady Whitmore. We are wed Annabelle. I will see her when she awakens," he murmured and kissed the baby's cheek. "Henry, my son."

"He is a fine lad my lord but the King…."

"I will deal with the King," he mumbled. But he would not concern himself with the King now. All that mattered were his bride and son.

A few hours later Bess awakened, pleading to see her husband. Morgan entered their bedchamber holding their sleeping son in his arms.

"You have given me a beautiful boy sweet Bess," he praised and kissed her softly, crawling into bed beside her.

"My lord!" the midwife protested.

"He will stay," Bess insisted tiredly. "You have not slept my lord. You must or your head will ache."

"I will be certain you are well," he said.

"And I will be certain you are well. You will lie here with me and sleep."

"Mistress, he must not come to your bed until you have fully recovered from your ordeal!"

"We will only sleep Lady Rothson not make love!" Bess protested. The midwife's face reddened.

"My lord, we must be certain Mistress Lawton and her child are free from infection."

"Lady Mayford will be free from infection because you will all tend to her with the utmost care," Morgan corrected. "She is my wife and you will treat her as such."

"Yes, my lord…but…but I thought the King did not give his consent…"

"We will not discuss it now. Leave us, please."

"Yes, my lord."

"Morgan," Bess murmured, resting her head on his shoulder. "Someone will report back to the King that we are wed, and we will face his anger again."

"I will make certain that knowledge does not go beyond these lands…through my purse if necessary. Do not distress yourself over these matters, sweet Bess. Think only of our family."

"Our family," she repeated with a smile as she gazed down at their son, seeing so much of his father in his tiny face. The ordeal of childbirth had been as difficult as she'd been told yet she longed to give her husband another child, this time a daughter that would not hurt him as his eldest seemed content to do.

London

Fall, 1522

Queen Catherine stared out the windows of her chambers, her rosary beads clutched tightly in her hands. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks. There would be no more chances for her to bear a living child. When her courses ceased, she was filled with hope that there would be another child growing in her womb, a legitimate son that would restore her to favor with the King. But there would be no more children for her for she was now entering the winter years of her life while her husband prolonged his youth in the arms of younger, more beautiful women who could bear him healthy sons. He certainly treated Henry Fitzroy, the son born to him by Bessie Blount, like an heir to the throne though her Mary had the only legitimate claim to the crown.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Bess standing behind her. The young mother had only recently returned to court. She and Morgan had been shocked when a messenger arrived a month after Henry's birth requesting that Morgan return to court. They had insisted on bringing Henry with them under the care of Thomas and Annabelle.

"Oh! Dear Bess! Forgive me! I did not see you standing there." The Queen wiped her eyes. "Are those the shirts the King has asked to be mended?"

Bess nodded.

The Queen took them from her gratefully and walked over to her chair where her sewing supplies were. She gestured to the chair opposite her. Bess sat with another pile of clothing in her hands. The Queen smiled.

"Is Lord Mayford well?"

"His head aches. He will be abed most of the day when he is not with Lady Tilney."

"It is past time you were wed here. I will speak to the King. It is foolish of him to pursue a match between him and Lady Tilney when he is married to you. I have already spoken to Lord de La Vargas."

"Your Grace we do not wish to cause any further tension between you."

"Though he has not come to my bedchamber for some time His Grace and I still take each other's advice and counsel. You must be wed here properly before you are with child again dear Bess."

"I would like that very much," Bess murmured. "It is difficult having to keep our Henry a secret."

"How difficult is it for you to travel between this world and his?"

"Time moves differently there as you've seen. It was the year of our lord fifteen hundred and nineteen when we left, and it is now fifteen hundred and twenty-two but that much time has not passed in his world. Fortunately, only a day has passed here when you came to the Temple of Lurline to give your consent to our marriage."

"All the more reason why I must speak to the King."

Catherine began sewing some pearls onto one of the King's shirts. He lost the pearls so often that she began removing the ones from her old gowns and setting them aside to match to the ones on the King's clothing.

Once they finished their mending Catherine left her chambers in search of her husband. Fortunately, he was not occupied by his current mistress, Lady Mary Carey, daughter of Thomas Boleyn. Henry had been intrigued by Lady Carey after hearing she'd once been the mistress of King Francis. He'd even referred to her as his "English Mare."

"The Earl of Wiltshire, Sir Thomas Boleyn has requested a position for his daughter in your household," the King informed her. Catherine bristled.

"Lady Carey?"

"Anne."

"Ah. She is to wed the Earl of Ormond."

"My sister tells me Mistress Anne served her well when she was Queen and I believe she will do well as one of your ladies."

"Speaking of my ladies, husband, is it not past time Mistress Lawton and Lord Mayford were wed? Lady Jane has returned to their land and God has taken the child she bore to the Scots."

"Aye, it is past time they were wed. They're getting too long in the tooth and Bess must conceive a suitable heir for Mayford now that I have disinherited Lady Jane."

"And in turn Mistress Anne will be welcomed into my household."

Henry threw back his head and laughed. "We have an accord Cate!"

"I have missed these moments Henry. Will you come to my bed tonight?"

"I will," he murmured, his eyes meeting hers.

Catherine returned to her apartments with hope renewed. They would never conceive another child, but she longed for the passion she could only find in his arms in her bedchamber. Though many doubted it she'd gone to his bed a maid and allowed him to teach her how pleasurable an experience lovemaking could be. But now she longed to see the precious daughter God had blessed them with. Her mother had proven a woman could rule a country successfully, Queen Dorothy was a beloved ruler in Oz, and one day her Mary would rule England.

True to his word Henry had visited her bedchamber that evening but their relations lacked the passion of their youth and he departed soon after. Catherine lay awake after he'd gone, the pillows soaked with her tears. She, the daughter of two of the most powerful monarchs in Europe, had failed one of her most crucial roles as Queen. She could not give her husband a male heir, the words of the Queen of Oz and the Norse god offering her little comfort. Henry wanted a son.

Though they kept a discreet distance at court, Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey, suspected that the saintly Earl of Mayford was like any other men when it came to his relations with Mistress Lawton. Were it discovered that he'd wedded and bedded the royal ward without the King's permission, the earl would fall out of favor leaving Thomas free to pursue the ambitions of his own family and the prize he coveted above all others was a chance at the crown, a prize higher than any his old father hoped to achieve. It was no secret the Queen could not bear the King a male heir, but he had many female relations capable of doing the job, one who was already making frequent visits to the King's bed.

"You want to put one of my daughters on the throne?" Thomas Boleyn asked.

"Why not? Both are young enough and attractive enough to entice him and he has already enjoyed the favors of your eldest daughter."

"And tires of them," Boleyn argued. "Why not Katherine Tilney?"

"Katherine cannot bear children. The King is already convinced she will make a suitable wife for Lord Mayford and we must have Mistress Lawton in the Spanish ambassador's household."

"How do you intend to accomplish this?"

The earl smiled. "Your daughter Anne befriended the earl and Mistress Lawton. She must continue that friendship, but she must also understand that her loyalties must be to her family and to her King. See to it."

"I will make certain Anne does her duty."

London

September 6, 1522

Frustrated by the King's stubbornness in, Queen Catherine had decided that the Earl of Mayford and his bride be married again in secret as Bess suspected she was once again with child. There were few people she trusted in her husband's court and none more the Bishop John Fisher. What the queen was asking amounted to treason, but he also knew she would not have sought his assistance unless it was God's will. The couple was given a small, yet simple ceremony in the Queen's chambers at dawn with only the Queen and the Bishop in attendance.

"You have my eternal gratitude for the service you've done this day," Morgan said to the Bishop. "I know the risks you and the Queen have taken on our behalf."

"It is God's will, Lord Mayford. We must all take comfort in that."

"I am not with child," Bess confessed to the Queen. "I believed I was, but I was mistaken."

The queen frowned. "I am sorry dear Bess. Perhaps you will have another chance soon. Lord Mayford, you must return to your apartments before the house awakens!"

Morgan raised the Queen's hand to his lips and kissed it. "I am again in your debt, Your Grace." Then he kissed his wife. "I will come to you when I can, sweet Bess."

"I love you," she whispered.

"And I love you, my lady wife."

Bess watched him leave, her heart aching with loss. Damn Henry Tudor!

Her young friend had grown up so much during her time at the French court, yet Bess was pleased to have Anne Boleyn as an ally among the Queen's ladies despite the gossip surrounding her sister's liaison with the King.

"You are not your sister Anne," Bess reminded her. "Do not listen to those harpies."

"I will marry well but for love," Anne declared. Bess grinned.

"Ah, and I take it there is already a man at court that has caught your eye?"

Anne took her friend's hand and pulled her into their chamber. "You must not speak of it to anyone but yes….there is a man I fancy….if he will have me. Henry Percy."

"But he is betrothed to Mary Talbot!"

"Betrothals can be broken. Oh, I am sorry Bess! I did not mean to upset you. I know you have waited many years for Lord Mayford but I had to tell someone, someone who knows the pain I feel."

Bess smiled. "I will not speak of your affections for Lord Percy if you will not speak of my secret."

"I will be discreet Bess," Anne vowed.

"Do you give me your word Mistress Anne for if you break it, I shall never be able to trust you again?"

"I give you my word."

"Lord Mayford and I…we are married."

"Married? How?"

Bess took the younger woman's hand in hers. "Walk with me and I'll tell you."

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Summer, 2019

"…It was a fantastic tale, but I always had an open mind about such things," Anne was saying. "I was fascinated with Beth's tales of life in Oz and the prominent women played at court. It was the kind of life I wanted, and I wanted it with Henry Percy but because I was just a knight's daughter, Cardinal Woolsey thought I was beneath him and opposed the match." She snorted. "I've read some modern historians believe the King had an interest in me then and Henry Percy was pressured to reject me. He wasn't giving me the time of day then because he was too busy with my sister."

"Thomas Howard, snake that he was, was having his men spy on Beth and me," David added. "They found out that not only was Beth coming to my apartments at night, we already had one child and another on the way. Once he had all the proof he needed, he went to the King with it and it couldn't have come at worse time."

"And Henry was always suspicious of anyone from Spain," Edgar Navarro added. "I came to court to serve the Spanish ambassador and fell in love with Marciella, who was Katherine Tilney then." Edgar smiled at his wife. "But her family wanted her to marry an Englishman so that's when Norfolk started plotting to get Beth in my bed and Marciella in Molky's." He laughed. "Well the joke was on him. It was one of the weirdest arrangements, but it worked out for all of us."

London

Winter, 1523

"...I should have you thrown in the Tower!" the King raged at the nervous Earl of Mayford after he was dragged out of his bed by guards. "But I will not because I knew you'd have that witch daughter lay a curse on me."

"I will do no such thing."

"But you will marry Lady Tilney and Mistress Lawton will marry William de la Vargas before the child is born."

"You would have our children bear the stigma of bastardy and me a bigamist?" Morgan exclaimed.

"As punishment for your offenses, yes," the King declared coldly. "Fortunately, only a handful of courtiers know of your transgressions and they have been silenced."

"You have shackled me to a woman whose only purpose is to further the Howard ambitions. I have warned you often enough not to trust them Your Grace. Do you not recall that Thomas Howard's father fought at the side of Richard III?"

"As did you."

"I proved my loyalty to your late father and to you many times. The Howards have no loyalty to anyone but themselves. Even now they seek to replace our good queen with the Howard girl that now shares your bed."

"Don't be daft my lord. Mary has no such ambitions other than to please her king."

"Your Grace, I will accept any punishment you give me but this. I will not have my Bess labeled a whore and our children bastards."

"You will marry Lady Tilney and if you continue to bed Mistress Lawton you will do so discreetly. She in turn will marry Lord de la Vargas and will be my eyes and ears in the Spanish ambassador's household. I will not have Spain plotting against me."

Morgan was angry yet he knew neither he nor Bess had any choice in the matter. Were they to risk his anger again Morgan had no doubt he would send them both to the tower and leave them as penniless as Morgan had been when he first arrived in England.

"If that is your wish," Morgan sighed.

"It is my command. The weddings will take place here in my apartments…tomorrow since you have offered no proof of a marriage with Mistress Lawton. You will be given permission to leave court for a honeymoon and upon your return you will present the child as yours and Lady Tilney's child if she is not with child herself." The King smirked. "One son and another child on the way. My young ward is a fertile one. Ah if only Catherine would give me a living son! In all the times I've gone to her bed she's given me nothing but stillborn babes and only a daughter as an heir. It is not enough! I must have a son! Is our house cursed as Father believed it to be?"

"Your Grace…"

"It is! I am no fool Morgan. My father warned me of the curse placed on our family by my lady grandmother Elizabeth Woodville and even my own mother! They believed my lady grandmother Margaret had those boys killed! You know the truth of all this! Tell me. Tell me!"

Morgan sighed deeply. "I suspect the Duke of Buckingham had your uncle Edward murdered but your uncle Richard was executed on your father's orders."

"The man put to death was not my uncle. He was a pretender!"

"He was your uncle, Harry. Thomas Gray and I spirited the boy out of England for his own protection and took him to Flanders. Your mother and I witnessed his execution ourselves."

Henry sank into his chair, his head in his hands. "So, it is true. The union between Arthur and Catherine was sealed in blood. The blood of my cousin Teddy and uncle Richard. Our house is cursed! I am cursed. I am living in sin with my brother's wife and God has punished me by not giving me a son!"

"Harry, it can only be a sin if Catherine were not a maid when she came to your bed and you've told me yourself that she was!"

"But can I be certain my lord Mayford. I know there are tricks women use to fool a man in the bedchamber."

"Harry, you must put these unpleasant thoughts out of your mind. Catherine has been a good wife to you, and she has given you an heir in Mary."

"A woman cannot hold England!"

"Her mother held Castille. Queen Dorothy holds Oz, holds all Nonestica. Perhaps the time has come in this land for a woman to hold the crown in her own right. It has been done for centuries in my world."

"Yet your world is not without its wars. The bitter blood between your Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov still linger as the bitter blood between Lancaster and York lingers." He frowned. "Edward Stafford will not be the last Yorkist to rise against me."

Edward Stafford succeeded his father as Duke of Buckingham after the latter's execution. It had come as no surprise to Morgan that Stafford would follow his father's tradition of challenging the current reigning monarch and share his father's fate. Yet Morgan had observed both Tudor kings treading wearily when it came to the Buckinghams but young Henry had been swift to act when rumors of treason reached his ears. He examined witnesses against the Duke himself and ordered the execution.

"Do not despair Henry. Your Mary, if she is meant to, will hold England for the Tudors."

"Perhaps," the king mumbled, dismissing him with a wave of his hand.

"How could you do this to me!" Bess cried, tears streaming down her cheeks when she stormed into the maids' chambers later that day.

"It is no less than you deserve for betraying me to Cardinal Woolsey," Anne said bitterly.

"What?"

"Do not play the innocent with me Bess. I know you told him about me and Henry Percy!"

"I told him nothing! That old fox has plenty of spies to tell him what he needs to know, or Henry cowered when questioned by the Cardinal. Perhaps you should look to your own family for the traitor. Who has filled your head with these lies that I have betrayed your secret? You will answer me Mistress Boleyn!"

"My uncle."

"Ah. Morgan and I have known for some time your uncle dislikes Morgan having so much influence at court and seeks to diminish it. He will not marry Katherine Tilney. He is married to me. We have a son and I will soon bear him another child!"

"The king will command it, Bess."

Bess's eyes narrowed to slits. "I shall never forgive you if he does, Anne."

"I am sorry."

"So am I. I fear I will not be able to trust you again Mistress Anne. You and your uncle's machinations have labled me a whore and my children bastards while the king can sire bastards on any woman he wishes and be praised for it! Pray you never find yourself in my position Mistress Boleyn. It is not an admirable one! Now if you will excuse me, I must prepare for my dinner with my betrothed," she added bitterly.

Anne watched her leave, realizing now that she'd lost a dear friend and gained a bitter enemy, one that she would help her family destroy. That butcher's son from Ipswitch had no business telling Percy a knight's daughter was beneath him. Oh, her uncle had been right about Woolsey. He, of all the men at court, had the most influence over the King and needed to be removed. She would bide her time but one day Thomas Woolsey would regret the day he'd crossed Anne Boleyn.

William de la Vargas had been a minor noble at the Spanish court when he was asked to serve the ambassador to England. It was not an easy post; this King was as fickle as any other monarch and had a fierce temper when crossed. The English court was a hotbed of intrigue and William a cautious man. He chose his allies carefully and kept his enemies at comfortable distance. It was no surprise to him that the King, with the full support of his master was offering him an English bride as a boon for his years of loyal service but it was not the bride of his choosing. That evening his future bride would join him for dinner and in the morning they would wed.

He had just finished his latest correspondence with his colleague from the French court when there was a knock at his door.

"Katherine!" he gasped and led her inside before she could be seen. "You should not have come!"

"I had to," Katherine Tilney wept and fell to her knees before him. "I beg you, let us go to Spain!"

"We cannot," William said sadly. "My master insists that I agree to the marriage to appease the King."

"But you do not love her. You love me!"

"Aye, I do love you Kate but that matters little in this court. King Henry wants a spy in our household and my bride will serve that purpose well enough."

"I will not marry Lord Mayford. I would rather go to a nunnery or be your mistress!"

"You are not meant for the Church, querida and I will not shame you by asking you to be my mistress."

"Then what are we to do?"

"Have you spoken to Lord Mayford?"

"I will dine with him this evening."

"And I will be dining with Mistress Lawton. Be kind to the Earl Kate. He is as unhappy over the situation as you are. I, in turn, will show Mistress Lawton every kindness." He paused.

"William, my love, what is it?"

He smiled. "Kate, I believe I may have a solution."

"You do?" She rose to her feet and threw her arms around him. "Tell me! Tell me!"

"I will speak to Lord Mayford and suggest that we dine together this evening. Then I will tell you my plan."

"Oh, you are a wicked man!" she pouted. "Tell me now!"

"Patience, querida." He tapped her nose playfully.

"You try my patience, my lord!"

"Have faith Kate. I am certain my plan will work. Until then you must play the part of the dutiful bride to be."

It was a part she'd learned to play well.

Morgan lay in his bed, a cold cloth over his eyes. His head ached fiercely yet the King would undoubtedly have him thrown in the Tower if he used it as an excuse to delay his wedding to Lady Tilney. It was not that he disliked her. He found her charming despite her familial connections, but he would never be able to love her as he loved his sweet Bess.

"My lord," Annabelle said gently, her hand on his shoulder. "You have a guest."

"I am unwell and will receive no visitors."

"This man insists on seeing you. He claims it is of the utmost importance."

"Does he come from the King?"

"No, my lord. It is Sir William de la Vargas."

He sat up and reached for his cane. "I will see him."

Sir William awaited him in his study. Morgan dismissed the servant and handed the younger lord a glass of wine.

"What brings you to me, Sir William?"

"An invitation, my lord."

"An invitation?"

"Yes. It would please me greatly if you and Lady Tilney would dine with us this evening."

Morgan scowled at him. "Is this your wish or the King's?"

"Mine. Allow me to speak freely for a moment, my lord."

"Very well, but do so quickly. My head aches and I fear I am poor company when I am unwell."

"My lord, I am aware of the affection you have for Mistress Lawton."

"If you will speak freely than so will I. She is my wife. We were legally wed by a Bishop of the Holy Mother Church but I will not reveal his name for his safely. She has born me a son and she carries a second child. I will never forgive the king for the shame he's brought her."

"I sought permission from the Duke for Lady Tilney's hand some time ago and was refused. He intends for her to wed an Englishman despite her objections. Lord Mayford, I propose we follow through with the weddings for the King's benefit but remain husband and wife in name only." He lowered his head. "Kate may want to have me burned for this, but I must tell you that she cannot bear children."

"I had no intentions of sharing her bed."

"Nor did I have any intentions of sharing Elizabeth's. She is charming young woman, but my heart is committed to Kate."

"Then you must wed Kate before the ceremony tomorrow unless you plan to make her your mistress."

"She has offered but I will not allow her to be."

"Do you know of anyone who can perform the ceremony discreetly?"

"I do."

"Then make haste man!"

"We will wed but will you dine with us this evening so that we may discuss our agreement with our brides?" William held out his hand.

Morgan took it with a smile. "I will."

Had he been any other man, William would have been offended that his future bride dressed for their dinner as if she were in mourning. She sat at her end of the table sipping her drink in silence.

"We will be having guests this evening," William announced.

"Oh? Whom, my lord?"

"Lord Mayford and Lady Tilney."

She set her goblet down hard. "Have you done this to taunt me, my lord?" she demanded angrily.

"My lady, please! Do not distress yourself! Think of the child."

"I do think of my child, a child forced to bear the stigma of bastardy because of the King's wounded pride," Bess snarled. "I have agreed to this mock marriage because the King wills it, but I do not and will not love you!"

"I am not asking you to love me Bess, only to be kind and I will be kind to you. I will love your child as if it were my own."

"I am sorry," She lowered her head shamefully. "You have been kind to me, my lord."

William glanced toward the window. "Our guests have arrived."

Bess's heart ached when Morgan entered the dining room with Lady Tilney on his arm. Neither smiled as they took their seats across from each other.

"We are to be wed tomorrow at the Kings command," William began. Katherine and Bess nodded silently "We will carry on the farce but tonight I will marry the woman I choose. Secretly, of course."

"Oh William!" Katherine sobbed joyfully.

"Morgan, Bess, will you be our witnesses?"

Bess smiled. "My lord, we would be honored."

"Forgive me, sweet Bess but William and I discussed this today and wanted to tell you this evening," Morgan said softly.

"If we marry on the king's command how will we…?" Katherine asked.

"We will be discreet Kate," William assured her. "Morgan and Bess have managed well over the years."

"Not well enough or Norfolk wouldn't have discovered us," Bess muttered.

"But we will be more clever than Norfolk this time, sweet Bess," Morgan reassured her. "We have a wedding to prepare for!"

Later that evening Bishop Fisher arrived to conduct the marriage ceremony, once again taking a great risk to his personal safety but doing so as a favor to his beloved Queen who had been made aware of the couples' plans and sent them her well wishes. Katherine and William had decided they would postpone their wedding night until their false marriage ceremonies were concluded and the King appeased.

The United Realms

Mayford Manor

Summer, 2019

"…The Fabulous Movarro Boys. That's what Marciella and I call them because they work so well together and are as close as brothers," Beth was saying.

"We are brothers," David insisted.

Edgar nodded in agreement. "Us becoming friends wasn't in Henry's plans or Norfolk's but our plans wouldn't have worked as well as they did without it. Our apartments at court were close enough that we could sneak back and forth to each other's rooms without anyone noticing but no one really seemed to care much anymore."

"And I surprised David with not one baby but two," Beth said proudly. "We knew twins ran in his family and I was expecting to have two sons or daughters, not one of each. We named our daughter Catherine after Queen Catherine and our son Arthur."

"They're Cami and Devon now?" Belle asked.

"Yes, but Cami and Dev were born two years apart."

"We were all parents to them then," Edgar added. "I hated seeing Ciella so unhappy because we couldn't have our own, now she practically has one every year…all girls!"

"I do not!" Marciella laughed. "We had a gap between a few of them."

"When?"

"You need some boys," Henry said. "Too many girls."

Five cats hissed at his feet. The king jumped up. "Jesu! What are those?"

"My daughters. They can shift into cats. Calm down girls. He's only kidding."

Anne giggled. "And cats have claws, my lord."

"You had the sharpest of them all!" Henry retorted.

"After the Cardinal found out about me and Henry Percy he sent me home to Hever Castle. My sister Mary had already given birth to my niece Catherine and my nephew Henry and there were already rumors at court that both were the King's children. The only one that could have been is Catherine. The King had already tired of Mary when her son was born," Anne explained.

"Historians agree that Henry VIII began pursing Anne as early as 1526," Belle narrated.

"I could feel Henry pulling away from me," Queen Catherine wept. "I was older, barren but I was still Queen of England!"

"I wanted to spend more time away from court and so did Beth, but we couldn't go without Navarro and Marciella or the gossip would start again."

"The ambassador was ready to retire and return to Spain. King Henry wanting me to marry Beth came at the perfect time for me. I now had an excuse to stay in England and Molky talked the King into giving me some lands near Mayford. I would be recalled to court when a new ambassador arrived, but I liked life in the country better. We all did."

"The court was changing. We all knew it and there was nothing we could do to stop it," David said glumly.

"And thanks to Dorothy's large archive of books on English history I now knew when the perfect time would be to take my revenge!" Angelique hissed.


	14. To God I Commit My Cause!

**Catherine of Aragon's speech at Blackfriars is composed from portions of Rosemary Anne Sisson's script from The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Michael Hirst's script from Season 1, Episode 8 of The Tudors and Catherine's own words taken from several historical records.**

**The United Realms **

**Mayford Manor **

**Summer, 2019**

The tension was heavy between the living and the dead for now each would give his or her point of view of the most tumultuous period in Henry VIII's reign; his divorce from Catherine, marriage to Anne Boleyn and the beginnings of the English Reformation. Soon more guests arrived, including sisters Belle and Marie Bordreaux from the former Storybrooke Four and their stepmother Penelope, a former college professor, all Tudor history addicts. Penelope held a pen and pad in her hand to take notes for her latest history blog post.

"Anne, you told us earlier that you'd been sent back to Hever Castle after Cardinal Woolsey discovered you wanted to marry Henry Percy," Belle reminded the former Queen.

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth. "I loved Henry Percy and I truly believe he loved me more than that Talbot girl. The cardinal made himself my mortal enemy with his actions and he'd already made enemies of my father and uncle. They wanted to strip him of his power and send him back where he came from. The King, and Catherine can verify this, allowed the cardinal to have too much influence over him."

Catherine nodded. "I'd expressed my concerns about the cardinal to Henry many times, but he would remind me that I was his wife, not his counselor. A wife I was, but I was also not a fool. Cardinal Wooley's ultimate desire was to be Pope but no one in Rome wanted him there."

"Wolsey and Cromwell were Henry's fixers." David scowled at the King. "You sent them in when you didn't want to get your hands dirty and threw them to the wolves when it all went wrong."

"I won't deny it. Will you be summoning them?"

"There's no need," Belle replied. "We would hear the story from all of you. We will be summoning future witnesses, but not at the moment."

Henry tensed. Who else would be summoned? His children? Two of them, his eldest in particular, would not give a flattering depiction of him and Edward, sweet Edward had still been a boy when he died. Then he thought of his final three wives. Anne of Cleves, the wife he'd been pressured by Cromwell into marrying and made a sister, Catherine Howard, the young girl who'd made a fool of him by carrying on an affair with one of his courtiers and Katherine Parr, his final wife, who barely avoided laying her head on the block for her Reformist beliefs.

"Who are they summoning?" Beth whispered to her husband.

"Probably Mary, Edward and Elizabeth," he whispered back. "We didn't see what happened in the final years of his life but Navarro, Marciella and Jane did."

"And the kids. They don't remember their past lives yet, but Rumple told me they will when they get older. Jasper saw more than the others because he was the oldest."

**Mayford Manor**

**Fall, 1526**

With so many nobles vying for the King's attentions, Morgan and William were relieved when they had been given permission to leave court after their weddings and the births of Catherine and Arthur. As William had promised, he and Kate loved Bess and Morgan's children like they were their own and the children thought of them as second parents and a year after the births of Catherine and Arthur, Bess discovered she was with child again.

"Perhaps it will be another daughter this time," Bess mused one evening in their bedchamber.

"If it is, what name shall we give her sweet Bess?" he asked softly as he nuzzled her shoulder.

"Anne."

He stiffened. "Surely you do not intend to name our daughter in honor of that girl after what she and that wretch of an uncle did to us!"

"No, darling. For Anne Neville. And when we have another son his name will be Richard."

He laughed. "Sweet Jesu woman! How many children do you intend to breed on me?"

"As many as I can. You longed for a family Morgan and I will give you one."

"But I do not want your health to suffer, sweet Bess. Our poor Queen's body has suffered greatly after so many pregnancies." He drew her closer. "It would shatter my heart if I were to lose you to childbed fever as King Henry lost his dear Elizabeth!"

"You have made certain that I am well cared for," she reminded him. "Now let us speak no more of death. Love me, my lord husband."

"Wanton," he growled and kissed her hotly.

"Aye, I am wanton for you my lord."

"You will need to spend longer in confession, wife."

She giggled into his shoulder. "I would never reveal the secrets of our bedchamber to the priest."

"No, for they are certain to shock him," he chuckled and kissed her again.

In late July Bess surprised her husband yet again when she gave birth to the daughter she'd promised but also another son whom they named Richard as they agreed. A week later letters arrived from the King and Queen though the Queen's was written in Ozian, as Bess had been instructing the Queen how to read and write the language of Morgan's land. The King praised Morgan and Katherine on the births of "their" children and included a separate letter for Morgan's eyes only.

Is it the curse or has God forsaken me for another reason? More than twenty years wed, and I still do not have a living son, only a daughter. A Queen may rule well in your world, but it is not so in this one. The English people will not be ruled by a woman. Am I living in sin with my brother's wife? Is this why I have no living sons? Night after night these thoughts trouble me. Tell me what you see Lord Mayford. I beseech you. Burn this.

Morgan set the letter down on his desk, the visions he'd been having since the letter arrived equally troubling. Holy houses ransacked, the inhabitants deprived of their goods, men and women put to the fires as a new religion swept through the land and the King daring to place himself among the gods. Then he saw Catherine, dear Catherine, their Queen languishing alone in a cold, damp castle.

"We must return to court," Morgan announced one evening at dinner.

"Have we been summoned?" William inquired.

"Indirectly."

"You've seen something, haven't you?" Katherine asked. She and William had been told the truth of Morgan's special heritage shortly after they arrived at Mayford. The couple found it difficult to believe until Morgan had been given visions of events in their pasts that only they knew about.

"I fear Henry's ambition and I fear for our Queen. I see her alone in a cold, damp castle. He desires a son and the Queen cannot give him one." He sighed heavily. "I believe he may try to set her aside and take another wife."

"He cannot!" Bess protested.

"It has been done before, sweet Bess."

"He cannot! Queen Catherine is a good woman and she loves him so much. He cannot set her aside and deny Mary's claim to the throne."

"Darling, the English people will not stand for a female ruler. Your father could have told you of the discontent that spread among them when Margaret of Anjou and Elizabeth Woodville tried to influence their husbands and in Margaret's case rule in her own right."

"Nonestica is ruled by a woman," she disputed.

"Alas, this is not Nonestica and even in my world a woman's rule is not without its detractors. Do you recall the gossip that Queen Dorothy took the crown through murder?"

"I thought it was nonsense."

"King Nicolai was murdered but to this day no one knows who did the deed."

"And our Queen Isabella did not rule Castille without opposition," William added. "If what you say is true Morgan and King Henry wishes to annul his marriage, he will not have an easy time of it. He was granted papal dispensation to do so. And it would have serious ramifications for our alliance."

"Agreed."

"We must return to court for the Queen's sake if the King does carry out this foolhardy scheme of his." Bess threw down her fork and stood up. "Wolsey. I see his hand in this. He is probably arranging another marriage with a French bride as we speak. Oh, he is a wicked man! I will see to the children."

"I will join you Bess," Katherine said and rose from her chair. Morgan and William took their glasses of wine and went into the study to continue their discussion while the servants cleaned up.

"I did not want to mention it in front of the women, but the ambassador has written to me to tell me that the King has been pursuing one of Catherine's ladies."

Morgan snorted. "He's already had affairs with Mary Boleyn and Bessie Blount. He sired Richmond on the Blount woman and I suspect Lady Catherine Carey is his child by the Boleyn woman."

"He is now pursuing her sister, Anne."

"A…Anne?!" Morgan sputtered. "Lurline's underdrawers! Bess sees Wolsey's hand in this, but I see Thomas Howard's! The old fox is ambitious enough that he would have any of his female relations on the throne of England!"

"I am grateful my Kate was born on the wrong side of the blanket or she would have been one of those women."

"Yet Howard put her in my household to diminish my influence over the King. I never had any nor have I had much with the Kings I served before. What else has the ambassador said?"

"The lady Anne has refused his advances, yet he continues his pursuit of her."

"Ah. She will lead him on a merry chase. The French court educated her well enough to do so. I will have the guest room made up for you and Kate. You will stay with us tonight and then we will discuss our return to court in the morning."

Bess awaited her husband when he returned to their bedchamber, a scowl riding her face.

"You are keeping something from me, my lord, now what is it?" she demanded.

"The king has taken another mistress."

"He's taken many mistresses Morgan but tires of them eventually. No matter what he's written to you, he cannot set Queen Catherine aside. Neither the Emperor nor the Pope will support it. Are you suggesting that he intends for this new mistress to take Catherine's place?"

"It is Anne, sweet Bess. The King intends to make Anne his mistress."

"Anne Boleyn!?"

"Aye."

She snorted. "Will there be no end to the Howard meddling for I am certain it is Thomas Howard behind this? Anne loved Henry Percy deeply. I cannot believe she would agree to a liaison with the King after the poor treatment he has been giving Mary. He will have his fill of her and dispose of her like the others and it is what she deserves for what she's done to us." She crawled into bed. "But I will not think anymore of her. Let us enjoy what little time we have before we return to that cesspit."

The following morning a letter arrived at Mayford and to Bess's surprise it was from the Lady Anne herself, begging forgiveness from her former friend.

_Dear Bess, I beseech you, do not forsake our friendship for now I know the pain you feel being parted from your love. Many times, I have seen Henry Percy at court and my heart aches for what might have been. I do not welcome the King's suit! Does he think me a fool that I would give myself as eagerly as Mary. No. I will give myself only in marriage. I would remain at Hever forever, but I too have been summoned back to court. My uncle and father are pleased with the King's interest in me for it serves their own interests. Perhaps if I greet his attentions with silence he will seek elsewhere. Burn this for both our sakes._

Against her better judgment Bess felt her heart soften toward her old friend. The King had forbidden her to marry Morgan, yet he turned a blind eye to their secret meetings at court. He would not turn a blind eye if Anne defied him and continued her pursuit of Percy when he wanted her for himself. And her heart ached for Queen Catherine. She had been a devoted wife to the King in all the years they'd been wed, her only failure being that she could not bear him the son he wanted. Perhaps her return to court would offer the Queen some comfort.

**London**

**Spring, 1527**

"…Dear Bess, you have returned!" the Queen exclaimed when she rose from her chair and took the younger countess's hands in hers. "And Katherine!" she greeted Katherine upon their arrival at court.

"I am always happy to serve Your Grace," Bess said with a smile.

"As am I Your Grace," Katherine added.

Catherine gestured to the chairs beside her and the women sat down, a pile of clothing handed to them by one of the queen's younger ladies. Bess smiled when she recognized one of her husband's shirts among them and Katherine smiled when she began repairing one of William's. The Queen began sewing pearls from a box she kept beside her on one of the King's doublets.

"How are the children?" the Queen inquired softly.

"They are well," Bess replied. "Our Harry is already talking of coming to court to serve but our youngest prefer to be at Mayford."

"I am sorry. It is difficult for me when I am away from Mary." She looked away, tears in her eyes. "You have heard the gossip of course?"

"He will tire of her as he has of the others," Bess said firmly.

"Some think me a fool and that I do not know but I see and hear all yet remain silent. I am Queen of England; His Grace's true wife and I always will be no matter how many women he beds. My daughter is the heir to the throne no matter how many bastards he sires on his mistresses."

The two ladies nodded in agreement and went back to their sewing.

Moments later Anne entered the Queen's apartments with two other ladies. Though she served her royal mistress without complaint everyone in the room could feel the tension between them. Bess waited until Anne had been given permission to leave before she sought an opportunity to speak to her alone.

"Cease this madness Anne, I beg you!"

"How can I?" Anne demanded angrily. "I have refused him every time he has sought me out, yet he continues to court me. I WILL NOT be like Mary. I will NOT yet he is the King. Perhaps another woman at court will catch his eye. There are certainly enough of them eager for his attentions!" Her eyes met Bess's. "Have you forgiven me?"

"I should not for Morgan, and I have to live in secret but now I see you were as much a victim of the machinations of ambitious men as I was."

"Wolsey," Anne hissed. "That butcher's cur. I will have my vengeance on him Bess. The King's pursuit of me may yet be of use."

Bess's mouth dropped open. "You intend to influence the King."

"Tell me you agree that he has far too much influence over the King himself."

"I will not deny it, but it is dangerous to meddle with him Anne."

"Seeing him ousted from court will give me great pleasure."

"Still I insist you tread carefully Anne."

"Have no fear for me, Bess. I will play the game, but I will do so by my rules."

With the Howards and Boleyns constantly vying for the King's attentions Morgan found himself once again an outsider at court though he paid it little mind. Instead he devoted his time to his family. He and Bess began to teach William, Katherine and the children Nonestican culture in hopes that that they would one day return to Morgan's birth realm. Their eldest, Henry begun to communicate with his parents in Ozian and English.

"Papa, I want to serve at court."

"Henry, lad, we've discussed this. The King already has enough young men fighting for positions in his household. I would rather have you here learning to manage Mayford and when your Mama and I make our journey to Paradise you will be ready to assume control."

"I can still learn! I just want to serve the King."

"You are too young even to be a page."

"I still want to serve."

Father and son argued well into the night until Morgan felt he had no other choice but to approach the King with his son's request.

"I'll find a place for your boy when he's old enough. Tell me, is he like your daughter?"

"None of our children have magic…at least none that their mother or I have seen."

"Your daughter had better stay where she is if she knows what's good for her. I will not have her at my court again." The King exhaled slowly. "Many nights I lay awake and those passages from Leviticus trouble me. I have been living in sin with my brother's wife!"

"You have not for she came to you a virgin. You forget I served your brother before I served you, Harry. Arthur was not ready for the marriage bed and your dear mother and I pleaded with your father to delay cohabitation until Arthur had sufficient time to prepare himself for his husbandly duties."

"Did you have time to prepare yourself, old friend?"

"I did my best as I always have," came the reply.

Morgan studied the King's face. Though still a young man, the responsibilities of ruling a kingdom had begun to take their toll on him as they had his predecessors and the High Queen Dorothy yet there was a light in his eyes Morgan hadn't seen in years. It was the light of love he'd had in the early years of his marriage to Catherine.

"You have heard the gossip, I assume."

"The lady has refused you, yet you persist in your suit. Why, Your Grace?"

"She intrigues me unlike her sister. You know I enjoy the chase as much as the capture, my lord earl!" The King laughed as he sipped his wine. "And she is giving me a merry chase!"

"How far are you willing to go to have your will Harry?"

The King's eyes narrowed over the rim of his goblet. "As far as it takes."

It was more than a promise. It was a warning.

**Summer, 1527**

His visits to her apartments were few but Catherine welcomed every one. She was aware the King continued his pursuit of the lady Anne, yet she remained silent. A knight's daughter could not possibly hope to unseat God's anointed Queen but every day more and more ladies and gentlemen of the court began to flock around the Boleyn woman as if she were a Queen and her family's influence at court grew stronger.

The Queen was grateful for the company of the few ladies that remained loyal to her; Katherine, her dear Bess, and her fellow countrywoman Maria de Salinas. There were others but few she trusted with the secrets of her heart. Only a few of those women remained that had come with her from Spain. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. When Maria answered it, she was pleased to find the King on the other side.

"Welcome, my lord!" Catherine greeted warmly. "Ladies, you may leave us."

The ladies bowed and left the room. Catherine noticed immediately that her husband seemed troubled and it gladdened her heart to see that he was seeking her counsel once again.

"Catherine…I am greatly troubled in my mind."

"What is it? Can I help?"

"Yes. You always help me." He sat down and leaned forward in his chair. "Catherine, someone has shown me…I have seen… There is a text in Leviticus which…"

"Leviticus?"

He picked up the Bible on the table and opened it, flipping through the pages quickly until he found the one he sought.

"Chapter 20..there…verse 21. 'And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing. They shall be childless.' That is the text, and it proved…learned and...and pious men have told me that, because you were first married to my brother, our marriage is unlawful in the sight of God. You and I are…we are living in sin together. That is why we have no son."

She flinched. He would dare…he would dare?

We have not sinned! That we have no son is no fault of mine or yours…it was GOD's will!

"There is only one answer. Now that we know the truth, we must separate. If you will choose some place…away from Court…and live there in retirement…" he went on as he walked around the room.

Catherine's knees trembled as she stood, seeing for the first time not the handsome young man she had fallen in love with but a stranger.

"You can go anywhere you like, and have anything you want, of course. Anything. Where would you…where would you like to go? Catherine?"

Suddenly she began to scream, tears streaming down her cheeks, loud, shrill screams of anger, heartbreak, and betrayal. How dare he do this to her? Her? She had been a true and loving wife in all the years they'd been married and yet he dared to question her now? Now, after all this time? To deny their marriage would be to declare her a whore and their daughter a bastard and she would not have it. She would not have it!

"Catherine! Don't cry! Don't…You must understand…It's not that I don't love you. I still…as I always have…And if we could continue to live together, then..I should be so glad. But my conscience…It won't let me…Catherine, don't!" he exclaimed and fled the room, her screams of rage echoing in his ears and bringing the women running back into her apartments.

"Your Grace! Your Grace!" Maria cried and gathered her mistress into her arms. "What is it? What ails you? Must we send for a physician?"

"The King….the King….he…has said….we are living in sin…and I am not his wife!" she sobbed into Maria's shoulder.

"He cannot do this! You are Queen of England by the Grace of God!" Bess raged.

"He…he believes we have broken the scared laws set forth in Leviticus but Arthur and I were never truly wed. I came to his bed a virgin. I am his true wife!" The Queen rose to her feet and brushed the tears from her eyes. "We are truly married and only God may put us asunder!"

"Write to your nephew!" Maria advised. "Have him go to Rome and appeal to the Pope on your behalf! You were given dispensation that granted the marriage."

"Aye and should the King want to marry Anne Boleyn he could not for he has lain with her sister!" Bess reminded them. Dear Lord! Morgan's visions! They are coming true…our poor Queen is in danger!

"He would dare set aside the true Queen for a whore!" Katherine raged.

"Please, do not be so unkind to the Lady Anne, dear Katherine."

"Forgive Your Grace but I cannot though she is my kinswoman."

The Queen walked slowly to her chair. "Perhaps His Grace only spoke in the passion of the moment but if he has not then I will do what I must for I will not have my daughter, the true heir to the throne, be declared a bastard! Bess, play for us!" she instructed. Bess sat at the virginals, tears in her eyes while she played, haunted by the words her husband had spoken during his visions; their beloved Queen abandoned in a cold, dark castle.

News of the private audience between the royal couple had already reached Morgan and William's ears by the time their wives returned to their lodgings that evening.

"Will the Emperor intervene?" Morgan inquired of William over dinner.

"My master believes he will not for he needs England against the French."

"Then I fear the Queen's only choice will be to appeal to the Pope."

"You were present during the Queen's marriage to Prince Arthur. Does the King have proof of his claim that he has been living in sin with his brother's widow?"

"What proof he has would be gossip William?"

William leaned forward. "What gossip, my lord? My master insists on knowing all the facts before he speaks to the Emperor. If the Emperor chooses to take up the Queen's case, he must be certain he will have a defense."

"The Prince boasted that the union had been consummated the day after the wedding. I did not hear it, but my daughter did, and I confronted the Prince."

"And?"

"Prince Arthur was not in good health, William. His mother, I and many others pleaded with King Henry to delay cohabitation until we felt Arthur was ready to his duty, but the King would not have it. He wanted the union consummated immediately. Arthur told me though he and Catherine shared a bed they did not consummate their marriage. They both fell ill with the sweat not long after."

"Ah, so if Catherine went to the King's bed a maid his claims are invalid." William smirked. "He would not be able to wed Anne either because her sister has shared his bed and I would wager all my gold that at least of her children is his."

"Have care whom you speak to about this matter."

"I will, my lord. I will."

Any thoughts that obtaining a divorce from the Queen were a passing fancy were quickly set aside when the King began to appeal to Rome on his own behalf, citing that there were numerous flaws in the original dispensation Pope Julius had issued granting their marriage and asking for a dispensation granting him permission to take a new wife whether he'd had relations with one of her relatives or not.

Having been silent for so many years Morgan was stunned when Prince Arthur began to appear to him more often, the former prince greatly troubled by his brother's actions toward his beloved wife.

"After all she's done for him!" Arthur raged. "He knows we were not a true husband and wife…he KNOWS and he is choosing to set her aside for that…that….whore!"

"I will do all I can to defend her when it comes to trial," Morgan vowed.

"Will it?"

The earl nodded. "I have seen it Arthur and William has told me that the papal legate will soon arrive from Rome to try the case. I have been asked to appear as a witness as have many others who served you and the Queen."

**Blackfriars Hall **

**June 15, 1529**

A large crowd gathered outside the hall to await the arrival of the Queen. Cardinal Campeggio, the papal legate had arrived from Rome and the trial would now begin, the people seeming to show more support for their Queen now than the King. As Catherine, Maria, Katherine and Bess emerged from the castle, they were greeted by cheers and thunderous applause.

"You see Your Grace! The people are with you!" Bess exclaimed. The Queen smiled softly as she passed them, many of them kneeling and saying "God be with Your Grace!"

Catherine had prepared herself physically and emotionally for this moment for many months. She would appear before them as the true Queen of England, defending both her crown and her honor as fiercely as her mother defended Spain. She listened in silence as Cardinal Wolsey scolded her for her insistence that the court had no authority to try her case. No, the only judge whose authority she would accept was that of God Himself. It had been His will that she marry Henry and it would be His will if they should be parted for reasons other than death.

Catherine slowly rose from her seat and approached the King's chair, her eyes never leaving his. Then suddenly she knelt.

"My lord…sir… I beseech you for all the love that has been between us, let me have justice and right. Take of me some pity and compassion, for I am a poor woman, and a stranger born out of your dominion. I have no friends, and little counsel. My Lord, since I can expect no impartial judgment in this court, I appeal to you as the head of all justice in the land. How have I offended you? I have always been your true and loving wife, and have borne you many children, though it pleased God to take them from me, for no fault of mine. There can be no question but that we are truly married, for when I first came to you, I was a virgin, as you have often said. I put it to your conscience to say whether this is true or no.

If there be any just cause by the law that you can allege against me either of dishonesty or any other impediment to banish and put me from you, I am well content to depart to my great shame and dishonor. And if there be none, then here, I most lowly beseech you, let me remain in my former estate… I beg of you, my Lord, to spare me this Court. But if you will not, to God I commit my cause!"

She then rose to her feet and turned to walk away leaving both the King and the spectators both stunned and awed.

"Well done my querida, well done!" Arthur exclaimed as she walked past them. Morgan glanced down at the King. His hands gripped the arms of his chair tightly, his eyes dark with anger. Once again, the Queen had bested him and in front of everyone!

"Catherine, Queen of England, come back into the court! Come back into the court!"

"Your Grace," Bess began. "You are being summoned!"

"This court has no meaning for me therefore I will not stay!" she declared and continued walking.

Outside the crowds continued to cheer and shouted: "God save our good Queen Catherine!"

"She has won a great victory," Katherine whispered.

"And awakened a sleeping dragon I fear," Bess murmured.

Inside the court, the King glared at Wolsey before he too rose from his chair and left the court though there were few cheers and little applause for him.

"Was it worth it, Brother!" Arthur sneered as the King walked past him and Morgan. "It will not be for Catherine will not surrender her crown to your whore!"

"I would speak with you," the King hissed. Morgan nodded, his heart pounding with dread. There was no doubt in his mind what the King wanted.

Later that evening Morgan was taken to the King's chambers. Henry sat at his table sipping a goblet of wine while holding his Bible in the other hand.

"She has made a fool of me," he growled and slammed the goblet down. "You are to be called as a witness tomorrow and you will speak the truth of what you saw and heard at Ludlow. Do so and I will grant you an annulment from Katherine and you will be free to marry Bess."

Morgan laughed harshly. "So, it has come to this, has it, Harry? Once again you use my love of my Bess against me. You want me to stand before the pope's legate and God and lie."

"I want you to speak the truth!" Henry barked.

"You say truth but you mean lie, Harry and that I cannot do. My conscience will not allow it."

"Your conscience. YOUR CONSCIENCE!? WHAT OF MINE!?" the King roared and hook his fist, the force of his rage forcing the older man to retreat in fear. "I have no living son because I am living in sin with my brother's wife. Does that mean nothing to you, my lord?" The King advanced and suddenly there was a flash of light and he was thrown against the wall. "Witch! Show yourself!"

"Jane is not here."

"Then how do you explain this, my lord Mayford?"

Morgan exhaled slowly. "It appears my daughter has warded me against any physical attacks. You did intend to raise your hand to me, didn't you Harry?"

"I…I suppose I did. My temper has not been the best as of late."

"I don't like this change in you, Harry."

"If only Catherine would listen to reason…"

"She is. God and her conscience. Abandon this farce Harry before it destroys this real because it will."

"I must have a son! Remember Matilda! She is the reason why a woman cannot rule England."

"You would sire one on a woman like Anne Boleyn?"

"I cannot sire one on Catherine, now can I?"

"Henry, has it ever occurred to you that perhaps it is God's plan that a woman can now rule England in her own right? It can be done. It is done in my world."

"Yet in your world you still have your own Cousins War, do you not?"

"The Houses of Strogoff and Ozopov have been united under Queen Dorothy's reign."

"Still the curse remains. How long will it be before the bloodshed begins again?"

He tensed as terrifying images flashed before his eyes.

"The darkest of curses by a Strogoff be taken and through his sacrifice in the names of those he loves, the curse and all created with it by a Strogoff shall be broken!" he murmured.

"Ah. So the bloodshed will begin again. That is why I need a male heir for England. You will return to court and claim that you cannot be certain Catherine's marriage was consummated. Do this and I will reinstate your Henry as heir to Mayford."

"I will not go against my conscience and my son will be reinstated as heir to Mayford."

"If you continue to defy me, I will have your son removed from your house and placed in the house of the Duke of Suffolk."

"Take my son from me and I will bring my daughter's wrath down upon you," Morgan threatened. The King backed away. "I do not approve of her using dark magic but if it will protect my son so be it!"

"Very well," Henry growled. "I will obtain the testimony I need without you!"

Morgan shook his head. The King was a fool on a fool's errand.

"…Lord Mayford, you were at court when Prince Arthur and Princess Catherine as our queen then was were wed, were you not?"

"I was."

"Did you hear the prince say that he 'had been in Spain' the morning after his wedding?"

"I did not."

"Yet you informed His Majesty's late father King Henry VII that you'd been told the prince made this statement, did you not?"

"I did because my eldest daughter Jane had overheard the prince telling others this but not before I spoke to Prince Arthur myself."

"You spoke to the prince?"

"I did. I was upset the Prince engaged in such a conversation in mixed company, but I also wanted to confirm whether my own theory was correct."

"And what theory was this Lord Mayford?"

"That the marriage had not been consummated and the prince did not want to be shamed before his peers."

"And what did His Highness tell you."

Morgan's eyes met the King's. "Prince Arthur told me in confidence that though he and his bride shared a bed and desired each other as they should they did not consummate the marriage."

"You believed him?"

"I did for I was one of the voices that opposed immediate cohabitation between Prince Arthur and Princess Catherine. I felt the Prince needed more time to prepare himself to be a proper husband."

Arthur appeared beside Morgan, smiling.

"Tell them all, old friend. Defend our Queen!"

I would defend her with my last breath.

"Lord Mayford, were you asked by His Grace King Henry VII to accompany Prince Arthur and Princess Catherine to Ludlow?"

"I was and I did accompany them to Ludlow."

"Did they share a bedchamber?"

"They did and though they came to love each other Queen Catherine was still a maid when Prince Arthur passed into God's hands. He was not in the best of health leading up to the wedding nor was he during his brief time at Ludlow." His eyes met the king's. "His Grace knows I speak only truths in these matters."

"You are dismissed Lord Mayford," the King said through gritted teeth.

Morgan's head was aching fiercely when he returned to his apartments.

"Thomas," he mumbled. "I will retire."

"Shall I bring Lady Mayford to you?"

He nodded. "Later. When everyone is asleep."

Her husband remained abed when Bess was brought to his chamber later that night. She slipped into bed quietly and laid her head on his chest. Moments later she heard him stir.

"I have done all I can for our Queen, but I fear it will not be enough. Henry will set her aside and marry Anne. We must pray God in His mercy will protect her."

"I'm afraid Morgan. The King is angry with you for not siding with him. What if….what it…" She choked back a sob.

"He wouldn't dare."

**The United Realms **

**Summer, 2019**

"….The papal court was eventually disbanded and the case reverted to Rome," Belle narrated. "A short time later Thomas Wolsey was relieved of his office of High Chancellor and arrested, dying before he could be imprisoned or executed. His post would later be filled by Sir Thomas Moore."

"Another whose blood is on your hands," Edgar hissed at Henry.

Belle ignored him and continued. "There were now two courts…one for Anne and the other still loyal to Catherine. Beth, Marciella, did there ever come a time when the two of you were asked to choose which mistress to serve?"

"I wouldn't call it a choice," Marciella snorted.

"Neither would I," Beth agreed bitterly. "Whatever Anne wanted she got and what she wanted was us in her household, not the Queen's."

"And Henry wanted the Queen as far away from court as possible," Edgar growled.

"We'd already defied Henry enough. None of us had a choice," David confessed sadly. "But in our eyes there was only one true Queen of England and that was Catherine!"


End file.
